[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 98 (Friday, June 28, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7279-S7280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              FEDERAL DROUGHT ASSISTANCE IN THE SOUTHWEST

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I wish to bring a very serious matter to 
the attention of my colleagues.
  As has been reported by several Senators, there is a serious drought 
underway in the Southwest, and I believe my State of New Mexico is 
probably the most seriously affected because it is suffering a very 
severe drought, almost in its entirety.
  As my colleague from New Mexico, Senator Bingaman, has stated on at 
least two occasions on the Senate floor in the last month, livestock 
producers are among the most devastated by these drought conditions. 
Today, I would like to inform the Senate of the current status of one 
of the relief options that several of us have been pursuing: the 
Emergency Feed Grain Reserve.
  It involves a small portion of grain reserves held by the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, known as the Emergency Feed Grain Reserve. 
Under this program, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to 
purchase and store up to 75 million bushels of grains to be held in 
reserve for emergency or disaster situations.
  Currently, the Department reports that there are about 45 million 
bushels of grain stored under this program. In the event of an 
emergency, the Secretary of Agriculture has a great deal of flexibility 
in how these reserve grains are to be used.
  On June 5, the Senate passed a concurrent resolution, Senate 
Concurrent Resolution 63, which called on the Secretary of Agriculture 
to release all grains held in the emergency reserve to provide relief 
for livestock producers whose livelihoods are threatened by this 
natural disaster. In fact, the distinguished Senator from Kansas, Mrs. 
Kassebaum, who just spoke, was the lead Senator on that concurrent 
resolution.
  There has been no response.
  Again, on June 12, the Senate called on the Secretary to act under 
the authority of this program by passing two resolutions, Senate 
Resolution 259 and Senate Resolution 260. These two resolutions called 
on the Secretary to use the most efficient methods of providing relief 
under this program, including cash payments generated by receipts from 
the sale of reserve grains and to give special consideration to those 
producers who could not receive assistance under any other program.
  There was no response.
  Let me put the amount of the grain reserve into perspective. As I 
stated earlier, there are about 45 million bushels of grain in this 
emergency relief reserve. Reuters news service reported this morning 
that the average price of corn during the month of June has been 
slightly more than $4 a bushel, barley was slightly lower, and wheat 
was considerably higher, at well over $5 a bushel.
  Even if the Secretary were to sell the emergency reserve stocks at a 
discount to provide relief in areas of severe grain shortages, there 
could easily be generated $100 million to provide relief in those areas 
where other forms of livestock feed, such as hay, are more needed. This 
is far greater than the $18 million that Senator Bingaman and I have 
attempted to provide legislatively through a modest but needed 
temporary extension of the only relief program for many livestock 
producers in the Southwest, the Emergency Livestock Feed Program.

  Secretary of Agriculture Glickman has a proposal. Earlier this week, 
I wrote to Secretary Glickman to inquire about the status of various 
plans or proposals to provide relief for livestock producers in the 
drought-stricken Southwest.
  I also spoke with the Secretary's office by phone and asked what, if 
anything, else was required for the release of the emergency reserve 
grains. I was informed that the Agriculture Department had submitted a 
proposal to the White House some time ago regarding the release of 
reserve grains for the purpose of this disaster relief but that it had 
not yet been approved.
  I have since been informed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture 
proposal was sent to the White House on June 4, 1 day before the Senate 
called on the Secretary to act. It has been 24 days, Mr. President--it 
has been 24 days--since Secretary Glickman proposed disaster relief 
activities to the White House.
  There has been no action.
  We cannot wait. These ranchers are going broke. When we have an 
earthquake, we act quickly. This drought is resulting in a gradual 
elimination of farmers and ranchers who cannot make a living in this 
drought, which is arguably the worst in 100 years.
  When there is a flood, an earthquake, as I indicated, a hurricane, 
this administration and this Senate prides itself on the responsiveness 
of its agencies, whether it be FEMA or any other, to the needs of the 
affected area, and we vote in the Senate for that kind of relief even 
if it is not our area. We have done that historically, and, God forbid, 
we stop doing that. It is absolutely our responsibility to help a State 
with serious problems, and we have that in New Mexico.
  The disaster relief that I am addressing today could have begun weeks 
ago by administrative action, and still there is no response. Farmers 
and ranchers in my home State of New Mexico and in parts of Arizona, 
Colorado and Texas, are losing their means of livelihood by having to 
sell large numbers of their cattle at rock bottom prices to survive. 
Some have been dealing with these drought conditions for over 3 years, 
but this year over three-fourths of my State is currently under what is 
called severe drought, according to the National Oceanographic and 
Atmospheric Administration. I believe it is time for the President and 
the White House to approve the plan submitted by the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture. The time is past. It should be done now.
  Since there has been no response to my inquiries other than, ``We are 
working on it,'' I hope that perhaps what I am saying to the Senate 
here on the floor will bring some action. It is not as if we are asking 
for billions of dollars, but it ought to be done. I hope the White 
House will respond quickly.
  If there are other things we must do in Congress, I hope they will 
tell us. I believe the Senate would respond, if we have to change 
something legislatively to provide assistance to one group of New 
Mexicans, or another. We may be here in the next few weeks, asking for 
some extraordinary help. The drought is causing wells to dry up, and 
water sources to disappear. We are having to move water around in the 
State to accommodate the various needs. Clearly we may need some 
extraordinary relief. Today what we are asking for is simple, it is 
forthright, and it ought to be done.
  I thank the Senate for giving me this time and I yield the floor.
  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

[[Page S7280]]

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the call of the 
quorum be waived.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

  

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