[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 40 (Wednesday, April 1, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3011-S3012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, EXTENSION AND EDUCATION REFORM

 Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I am here to support the Senator 
from Iowa in asking that we be allowed to vote on S. 1150, so that we 
may provide crop insurance to the farmers in this country and begin to 
restore food stamps to some legal immigrants who lost eligibility under 
welfare reform. It is a bill financed primarily by funds from reducing 
the federal dollars for the administration of food stamps and provides 
the perfect opportunity to start correcting the mistakes made under 
welfare reform in denying legal immigrants access to the food stamp 
program. In addition it could allow full funding for crop insurance for 
next year and beyond. The only way Congress could avoid leaving farmers 
exposed in this way, would be to provide significant increases to crop 
insurance during the appropriation process. It will be incredibly 
difficult to increase crop insurance through the appropriations process 
because of the tight discretionary caps and the tremendous pressure on 
all programs.
  As currently drafted, S. 1150 would provide just over $800 million 
for FY1999-FY2003 to restore benefits to approximately 250,000 people. 
That is less than a third of those who lost their eligibility under 
welfare reform. It is a step in the right direction and we as the 
Senate should have the right to vote on this legislation.
  We are not a country built on denying food to children and their 
parents. Yet that is essentially what we did when we passed Welfare 
Reform. Estimates suggest that around 900,000 legal

[[Page S3012]]

immigrants lost their eligibility. In addition, 600,000 citizen 
children with legal immigrant parents have seen their family's food 
stamps reduced. Denying access to nutrition will indeed affect 
children. It might be in terms of reducing children's food or it might 
be in terms of family dynamics, job performance or children's 
accomplishments. The reality is food is a basic need that if lost or 
reduced has rippling effects on a family.
  The legislation that has been stopped would, if passed, begin to 
return food stamps to the neediest of those immigrants who lost 
eligibility under welfare reform: children, elderly and disabled. In 
addition it extends eligibility of asylees and refugees from 5 to 7 
years to allow them the time required to apply for citizenship. The 
remaining $1.1 billion would ensure the much needed funding for crop 
insurance and increase the much needed funds for agriculture research. 
Agriculture research funds are critical to improving food safety and 
providing a better quality food supply for all consumers. I encourage 
the President to allow the Senate to vote on this legislation so that 
we may improve food stamp eligibility to legal immigrants and ensure 
crop insurance to our farmers.

                          ____________________