[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 137 (Thursday, October 17, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10616-S10617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                DROUGHT

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise to address a natural disaster that 
is occurring in America. That is the unrelenting drought.
  For my State of Montana and many States this year, particularly in 
Colorado and other Western States, it has brought economic hardship to 
our agricultural producers and to our rural communities.
  In 1996, before the drought began, Montana wheat producers made $847 
million from their wheat sales, close to $1 billion. In 2001, 4 years 
into the drought, Montana producers made just $317 million from wheat 
sales. That is a 62-percent decline.
  Let me add a new context to that figure. Agriculture is more than 50 
percent of my State's economy. It is truly the backbone of our State. I 
ask those who oppose natural disaster assistance one question: How is a 
State like Montana supposed to survive a loss of that magnitude, 62 
percent, without assistance, when half the economy is agriculture? The 
most efficient, the most effective, the most successful businesses in 
the world could not absorb that kind of a loss.
  That 62-percent decline in sales for Montana wheat farmers--and I 
might add, the same devastating effect is felt by livestock producers 
because of lack of pasture and feed--is through absolutely no fault of 
those producers. These farmers haven't been cooking the books. They 
haven't been taking exorbitant bonuses at the expense of shareholders. 
No, our Nation's farmers and ranchers are hard working, dedicated, 
good, honest people, trying to make a living, trying to make ends meet. 
They need our help.
  The drought is no longer touching only the pockets of our country. 
The drought has become an epidemic. It has affected a majority of our 
Nation. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 1,470 
counties in 45 States have been designated drought disaster regions in 
2002.
  As you can tell from this map, dated October 1 of this year, there 
isn't one State west of the Mississippi that has been receiving the 
rain they need. Just look west of the Mississippi, and clearly, by the 
dark brown and the reds, you can see the center of America is 
experiencing deep drought.
  Drought is affecting States up and down the east coast as well, as we 
can see from this map. That is just part of it. That is just this year. 
In most regions of the country, certainly in the West, we are now in 
our fourth or fifth year. It is cumulative. It adds up. This map alone 
doesn't tell the whole story.

  On October 3 of this year, President Bush provided FEMA Federal 
disaster funds and resources for people victimized by Hurricane Lili. 
Those people, those small businesses, those rural communities have been 
devastated by an unpredictable and uncontrollable natural phenomenon--a 
hurricane. They deserve our assistance, and we, very generously and 
proudly, support that assistance the President provided for those parts 
of the country devastated by hurricanes.
  But where is the assistance for people suffering from drought?
  In reality, the only real difference between a hurricane and a 
drought is that a majority of people don't understand the impact of 4 
consecutive years of drought the same way they understand the impact of 
a hurricane.

[[Page S10617]]

Drought is a silent killer. It is not on TV. It is not headlined in the 
news. It is a silent killer that slowly builds up and accumulates. The 
pictures of drought on CNN are not as immediate and terrifying as are 
the photographs of hurricanes. But the effects can be just as serious 
for the people in both events. They can both lose their homes and 
livelihoods.
  Our agricultural producers are holding their breath. They are waiting 
for natural disaster assistance because if they don't receive our help, 
many will not make it. In Montana, and in other States across the 
country, small businesses are closing their doors and families are 
losing their futures because of the drought. It is happening. School 
districts no longer have enough children to conduct classes, so they 
have to consolidate schools, forcing kids to travel hours by bus. Why 
are they losing children? Because of the effect of the drought. Parts 
of my State are just drying up.
  Those people, small businesses, and rural communities have been 
devastated by unpredictable and uncontrollable natural phenomenon. On 
September 3 of this year, the Wall Street Journal printed this:

       The U.S. may be looking at its most expensive drought in 
     its history, inflicting economic damage far beyond the farm 
     belt.

  Think of that, Mr. President. A quote by the Wall Street Journal that 
the U.S. may be looking at the most expensive drought in our Nation's 
history, inflicting economic damage far beyond the farm belt.
  I will share a few stories that have been shared with me over the 
last couple of weeks. In north-central Montana, the bread basket of my 
State, a producer and his family have been living off of their farm for 
several generations. After 4 years of valiant fighting against the 
drought, they have been forced to give up. The question is, What do 
they do now?
  Because of the drought, they have no crop and cannot pay off their 
outstanding operating loans. Don't forget, that is how farmers do 
business. They get operating loans before they get their crop. If they 
get no crop, they cannot pay off the loans. More than 3 months ago, 
this family put their farm, their machinery, everything they have 
dedicated a lifetime to, up for sale. They have yet to receive a single 
offer in more than 90 days.
  A producer in the same region had five hired hands just 5 years ago. 
Now he has none. Due to the cost of feed and the condition of his 
pastures, he has had to cut down his herd to one-fourth of what he used 
to own. Over the last 3 years, he has lost several hundred thousand 
dollars because the drought has killed his crops and he cannot afford 
cattle feed.

  He and his family rely on the income from his wife. But to make a bad 
situation worse, his wife's job is now in jeopardy because of the 
negative impact of the drought on her employer. She is not sure she can 
keep her job.
  Dale Schuler, past president of Montana Grain Growers Association, 
and a farmer in Choteau County, had this to say, and I know Dale. He is 
a rock-solid man. He has been farming for years:

       Nearly 2,000 square miles of crop in my area of central 
     Montana went unharvested in 2001. That is an area equal to 
     the size of the State of Rhode Island. Farmers and our 
     families haven't had the means to repay our operating loans, 
     let alone buy inputs to plant the crop for the coming here.
       Don't forget, agriculture is 50 percent of the economy in 
     Montana. There is a decline in income over several years of 
     62 percent. Continuing his quote:
       Choteau County is the largest farming county in Montana, 
     and yet our last farm equipment dealer had no choice but to 
     close his doors, our local co-op closed its tire shop, one 
     farm fuel supplier quit, and the fertilizer dealers and grain 
     elevators are laying off workers. I believe that we are about 
     to see a mass exodus from Montana that has not been seen 
     since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

  That is no small statement, Mr. President.
  Another farmer from Choteau County, Darin Arganbright, pointed out 
that enrollment in local schools has decreased by 50 percent in the 
past few years. Young families are not able to stay in the area because 
of the lack of work and the lack of opportunity.
  It is not only agriculture that is gone; businesses in the community 
are being devastated.
  According to the New York Times, an article of May 3 of this year:

       In eastern Montana, more than a thousand wheat farmers have 
     called it quits rather than trying to coax another crop out 
     of the ground that has received less rain over the last 12 
     months than many deserts get in a year.

  That is the fourth year of drought. That is not 1 year; that is 4. I 
remind colleagues that Federal crop insurance is perverse because, with 
each year the coverage decreases while premiums increase compared to 
the prior year. It is a negative vicious cycle.
  Don Wilhite, director of the National Drought Mitigation Center, 
describes drought in the following manner:

       Drought is the Rodney Dangerfield of natural disasters. In 
     most cases, it causes the most significant losses, but it is 
     harder to convince policymakers and others to deal with it.

  That is what is happening, Mr. President. The White House is turning 
a deaf ear to this. They put their blinders on. The majority party in 
the other body is doing the same thing, putting blinders on, closing 
their ears, not paying attention.
  Producers pray every day that they can hang on until the U.S. 
Congress--all of us elected to represent the people--works together to 
pass agricultural disaster assistance. Our producers are praying that 
we act now so their children have the opportunity to continue what they 
and generations before them have fought so hard to sustain.
  We cannot and must not continue to ignore the impact of drought and 
the effect it has on our agricultural producers and our rural 
communities. Agricultural producers are every bit as deserving of 
assistance for their suffering from the drought as a small business 
owner from Louisiana suffering from the hurricane.

  In a speech to the Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show 
in Denver in February, President Bush emphasized the need for a strong 
rural economy:

       Our farm economy, our ranchers and farmers provide an 
     incredible part of the Nation's economic vitality.

  That is what he said in February. The President continued by saying 
if the agricultural economy is not vital, the Nation's economy will 
suffer. Those are the President's own words.
  I could not agree more with the President. The Nation's economy is 
directly tied to our agricultural economy. Unless we take action, the 
drought will have a permanent impact on our agricultural producers, on 
our small rural towns, and on our national economy.
  I urge my colleagues in the House and the Senate, and the President, 
to work together to pass natural disaster assistance before it is too 
late--and in many cases, for thousands of families who have pulled up 
stakes, it is already too late. I ask the President to live up to the 
words he spoke in February. If the agricultural economy is vital to the 
national economy--and it is--then it is vital that we pass agricultural 
disaster assistance immediately.
  Our agricultural producers have never let us down--never. They do not 
let us down. They continue to fill our tables with safe and abundant 
supplies of food. Now it is time for us to work together to provide 
them with immediate assistance so they can continue to fill their own 
tables.
  Mr. President, I thank my colleagues, and I urge my colleagues to pay 
close attention to my remarks because we have a problem. We have to 
work this out together. I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania. I thank 
the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up 
to 15 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Pennsylvania is recognized.
  Mr. SPECTER. I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. SPECTER pertaining to the submission of S. Res. 
347 are printed in today's Record under ``Submission of Concurrent and 
Senate Resolutions.'')
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. KENNEDY. I understand we are in morning business. I ask unanimous 
consent to proceed for 15 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.




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