[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 164 (Monday, October 23, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S15501]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL

 Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, on September 20, the Senate passed 
the Agriculture appropriations bill. I would like to take this time to 
explain some of the votes I cast during debate on this bill.
  I voted for several amendments related to reducing the scope of the 
Market Promotion Program including an amendment which would reduce 
funding for the MPP's and limit potential users to small U.S. 
businesses.
  While many businesses have benefited from this program, in these 
times of extreme budgetary austerity, we must prioritize Federal 
Government spending. These are tough choices, but if we don't make them 
now, the results will be devastating for future generations.
  One of our goals in this Congress has been to free citizens from 
unnecessary burdens and excessive taxation of bureaucracy. In doing so, 
some Government programs which support businesses also must be reduced. 
It is my hope, however, that in the long run, we will allow individuals 
and businesses to keep more of the money they are now paying in taxes 
so that they are able to create programs like the Market Promotion 
Program without Government involvement.
  I also voted against an amendment which would have eliminated from 
the bill a provision to provide assistance to cotton farmers whose 
crops were devastated by tobacco bud worms, beet army worms, and other 
pests. This amendment was accepted without my support.
  Many farmers were told that the newly created Catastrophic Crop 
Disaster Insurance Program would provide the same level of protection 
as previous Federal disaster programs. These farmers, therefore, relied 
on the new program for help in disasters such as this. Unfortunately, 
the level of protection is not the same as previous disaster programs. 
The provision to assist cotton farmers was included in the bill because 
the Catastrophic Crop Disaster Insurance Program is not sufficient to 
help these farmers.
  Mr. President, recognizing the extreme losses these farmers are 
experiencing through no fault of their own and over which they had 
absolutely no control, I feel it is appropriate that the Federal 
Government, assuming that the Secretary of Agriculture deems the losses 
disastrous, step in to provide these low interest loans to cotton 
growers who have been economically devastated by this disaster.

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