Date: 1981-12-16
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker. I had the honor and privilege of leading the House delegation on this conference. Let me tell you very sincerely and very truthfully. as I said in the beginning. I wish we could have brought something more for those specific commoditiesdairy. feedgrains. wheatbut I have been down in the valley of the shadow of death. Mr. Speaker. and I see what Is ahead. We faced the other side. They would not give. We stayed 27 days. This is the only thing we could bring back. If this bill does not pass. we will go to the 1949 act. Some argue that it will not happen. I do not agree. * I tell you we will lose $1 billion for food -stamps. I cannot wake up in the morning with that on my conscience. I am in -a little different -position than most of my colleagues. having the responsibility of being chairman. I can tell you very sincerely it is not an easy task.. I. am telling my colleagues that there would be utter chaosor achieve a more favorable result. They are not going to undo GramimLatta. We will have the 1949 act. It will be a disaster. The added costs alone will be $2 billion to $4- billion above the conference report. I I wish I. could think that we could come back. I would be the first one to come back. But I have seen the other side. I have been to the White House. I have been to the executive office building. I can see no alternative to the conference report. Granted. we are dealing with a patient who is sick. What they say about the American farmer is true. This Is not anything but maybe a blood trans. fusion. and at that it may be the wrong type blood. But we are going to have a dead patient if we do not pass this tonight. LWe are going to have chaos in the food stamps. We are going to have chaos In the lending institutions. We are going to have chaos as far as the budget is concerned. And I do not want to b here 60 or 90 days from now when we cannot get more than we could tonight and say. "Gee. I wish they would have heard me that other night. I wish they would have heard me that other night." I do not want to say that. If I were to fight this bill for the consumer. I would not be doing it on sugar. That is the least thing that can affect the consumer. A package of cigarettes would cost more than the extra cost of sugar over an entire year. And then. Mr. Speaker. peanuts Is something that we have worked at diligently to bring a compromise. The -House did bring back a good compromise. contrary to what many of the Members say. An individual Member may disagree if he is from a wheat area and he thinks he can get more. I am not quarreling with that. All that I am saying Is that what we have tonightwhat they call a turkey and make fun of in the Christmas seasonis that we are not forgetting the American farmer. This gives him a safety net. Granted. It may not be what they want. but it Is the best we can do under the circumstances. Finally. Mr. Speaker. let me say in the spirit of the season that I have had nothing but cooperation and good will from the Members who oppose this very strongly and very vehemently. I have meticulously guarded and protected their Interests. How do the Members think I felt here giving more time to those .who oppose this bill than to those who support it? But then. I wanted to protect their interests. It Is a long. long way from the banks of the Rio Grande for a poor Mexican boy to be chairman of the great Committee on Agriculture. Mr. Speaker.- Because of this country. our system -of government.. the grace of God. and the people. who have touched my life along the way. I am here. I think that I owe it to those people. I also have the obligation to warn my colleagues that I have seen the crystal ball. A better bill is not there. I wish that it were. but it Is not.