[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 138 (Tuesday, October 6, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H9596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              FISCAL YEAR 1999 AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS

  (Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, I rise to strongly encourage 
the President to sign the 1999 agriculture appropriations bill. This 
bill contains much needed assistance for farmers and ranchers who are 
facing severe drought, farmers trying to hold together their operations 
in the face of several years of floods and disease, and farmers seeing 
their incomes decline significantly due to circumstances beyond their 
control.
  I want to emphasize to my colleagues the assistance provided in this 
bill is not an implicit acknowledgment that agriculture policy needs to 
change direction. It is simply a recognition of the great need that we 
have in rural America.
  The calls for additional funds for farmers are not about money, they 
are about policy. Some believe that they can seize on today's problems 
to change the course of the 1996 farm bill. My question is, why return 
to the old, failed farm policies of the past? Let us work through these 
international trade problems and continue to free agriculture to 
achieve great success in the 21st century. A good first step would be 
for the President to sign this bill. Do not play shut down the 
government with our farmers.

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