[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 107 (Friday, August 5, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 5, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           DURUM WHEAT PRICES

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I appreciate the indulgence of the 
managers of the bill. I will be brief.
  I did not want this week to go by without challenging the statements 
made by both the New York Times in their editorials and the pasta 
manufacturers, the pasta industry in this country, as a result of 
decisions the Clinton administration took against Canada on Monday of 
this week. The fact is the Canadian Wheat Board targeted the American 
grain market with a flood of unfairly subsidized d urum. This 
administration finally stood up and took action, fair action, that says 
to the Canadians, you cannot engage in unfair trade against the 
American producer, against the American farmer. This administration did 
the right thing.
  Now, let us look at what is being said. The pasta industry says this 
is going to have a very negative effect on the U.S. pasta industry; 
pasta products are going to pay higher prices, which are also going to 
hit the consumer.
  Now, look, this proves you do not have to think to run a pasta 
association, I guess. Let me show you a chart. And let us have a little 
show and tell. I say to the pasta manufacturers, bring your noodles, 
bring your linguine, bring your lasagna, your spaghetti here to Capitol 
Hill and let us talk. Let us find out what you did with the price of 
your macaroni when the price of Durum went up and down.
  I can show you 3 years when the price of Durum wheat went down and 
the price of macaroni went up. Why? Why, when the price of Durum wheat 
collapses $2 a bushel can you not walk into a grocery store, if there 
is such a relationship between durum wheat and macaroni, and find that 
macaroni prices are down in the grocery store? The fact is the pasta 
industry seldom, if ever, reduces their prices irrespective of what is 
happening to the price of Durum wheat. That is a plain fact. If they 
dispute it, they ought to come to Capitol Hill and let us talk about 
it.
  Second, that great bastion of knowledge about agriculture and trade, 
the New York Times, wrote an editorial that says the Clinton 
administration is keeping Canadian wheat out. Nonsense. A substantial 
amount of Canadian wheat will continue to come in. This administration 
just took the first action that finally says let us begin to stop this 
speeding train.
  With all due respect to those folks who apparently wear coveralls and 
go to the New York Times every morning and think about agriculture and 
write these editorials, they ought to get the facts. The facts are this 
was unfair trade. This administration had every justification, in fact 
a requirement, to intervene on behalf of the U.S. producers. I am just 
flat sick and tired of every time there is a dispute between the big 
moneyed interests and the little folks, big moneyed interests win. This 
is a dispute that pits the big moneyed interests, some of the biggest 
food companies in this country with record profits, against the 
economic interests of the small family farmer. And guess who always 
wins?
  Well, this administration finally stood up for the interests of the 
family farmer. It is about time. We could not get the time of the day 
from the Bush administration. This administration has taken action 
against Canada, and it ill-behooves the editors of the New York Times 
to write an editorial that does not contain the facts and reaches the 
wrong conclusion. And it certainly ill-behooves those who manufacture 
macaroni and spaghetti and lasagna in this country to tell us their 
prices have much to do with durum wheat. The fact is they buy durum. It 
does not matter what the price is; they jack up the price of pasta 
products in the grocery store. When durum wheat prices drop $2 a 
bushel, I defy anybody to go to the grocery store and find the 
beneficial nature of these big food corporations to rush in and reduce 
the sticker price of macaroni. It does not happen. Frankly, they take 
advantage for their own economic interests, for their own profits, and 
they care little about those who raise the durum wheat that produces 
the semolina flour that is eventually produced into a piece of elbow 
macaroni.
  So I applaud the Clinton administration and Ambassador Kantor. It is 
about time. I ask the New York Times to write an editorial with the 
right facts, and that will lead you to the right conclusion. I say to 
the pasta manufacturers, if the price of macaroni has anything to do 
with the price of Durum wheat, then let us see some reduced pasta 
prices for a change.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Minnesota.
  Mr. DURENBERGER. How much time do I have remaining?
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Minnesota has 5 
minutes.
  Mr. DURENBERGER. I rise first to thank my colleague from North Dakota 
for his statement, and, in my time this morning, I would add to it the 
discussion of barley and some other situations that we have in common.

                          ____________________