[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 117 (Friday, September 24, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9657-S9658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 TRADE

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I was intending to speak earlier this week 
on the subject of trade, but because of the Senate schedule I decided 
to wait until today, when we don't have Senate business that would 
require votes.

[[Page S9658]]

  Before I get to the subject of trade, I first want to mention that 
this morning in the Congressional Daily, there is a lead story that 
says:

       Growing GOP resistance might doom farm money in homeland 
     funding bill.
       It says here that House Republican leaders are digging in 
     against a package of drought assistance that Senators added 
     to the Homeland Security appropriations bill.

  The House Republican leaders say that the drought amendment doesn't 
have a head of steam.
  I am wondering how is it these leaders seem to think that spending is 
very important when it comes to funding the reconstruction of Iraq--
which ran through here like a big old truck in fifth gear--but when it 
comes to spending here at home to help people, in this case helping 
family farmers through a real tough time, they say we don't know that 
we can do that. They are going to dig in our heels.
  The Senate passed disaster relief for farmers. We also supported 
disaster relief for the victims of hurricanes. I have never in all the 
time I have been in Congress opposed disaster relief for those who have 
been victims. It seems to me, whether it is the fury of a hurricane 
that hits your area or drought or some other act of nature or God, when 
people are victimized, the rest of this country will extend its hands 
and say, you are not alone, we want to help. And we have always done 
that.
  For those poor folks in Florida and the rest of the Southeast who 
have been hit by hurricane after hurricane, we have a responsibility to 
help them and we did and we will. We will do more. But it is also the 
case, for example in my State, where torrential rains meant that 1.7 
million acres of ground couldn't even be planted and family farmers who 
rely on that planting to make a living will lose their opportunity and 
perhaps lose their farm if they don't get help. In August there was a 
freeze, and that freeze dramatically injured crops. And there was a 
drought in the southeast part of my State, where between January and 
July they received 2.2 inches of moisture in 6 months, and they too 
need some hope.
  So when we pass disaster assistance, whether it is for the hurricane 
victims or for those in agricultural areas that suffer weather-related 
disasters, and then we hear that there is opposition to this by the GOP 
in the House of Representatives, I ask myself this: Why is it that they 
are so anxious to help everybody except the people in this country?
  I offered an amendment last year on the floor of the Senate to strip 
about $20 billion out of the bill for Iraq reconstruction which the 
President sent to us. That was the single largest cut in spending 
proposed on the floor of the U.S. Senate last year. Why did I offer 
that amendment? Because the President said, let's spend this money for 
reconstructing Iraq, when, in fact, Iraq has plenty of money to 
reconstruct itself. Iraq has the second largest reserves of oil in the 
world. It is perfectly capable, especially with oil prices where they 
are. Iraq is now pumping slightly less than 3 million barrels a day--
about 2.5 million. But they clearly have the capability to pump oil and 
sell the oil and raise the money to reconstruct themselves.
  Instead, what we have is a roads program in Iraq paid for by the 
American people; we have an education program in Iraq paid for by 
American taxpayers; we have a jobs program in Iraq paid for by American 
taxpayers; we have a health care program for Iraq paid for by American 
taxpayers. You name it, We have all of these programs in Iraq paid for 
by us, the American taxpayers. The supporters of that bill were rushing 
to get that through the Congress and couldn't get it through quickly 
enough.
  Now when some folks in this country are hurting and we pass a 
disaster relief bill to say, you are not alone, we want to give you 
some help, we have the GOP leaders in the House saying, you can't do 
that. Why not? That is investing here at home, at least. You were so 
quick to rush $20 billion to Iraq to reconstruct Iraq; how about 
returning some money to help those family farmers who have suffered 
weather-related disasters?
  This isn't over. There is going to be a big fight. If that is the 
attitude of other side, we are going to have a big fight about this 
because we owe it to those producers across the country who live on the 
land, who go to the fields in the morning alone to plow with nothing 
but hope that somehow things will work out. When they have weather-
related disasters, they too need some help. They too deserve our help. 
So this is going to be a big fight.
  We are not going to sit idly by and have GOP leaders in the House say 
that this isn't going to happen. It is going to happen one way or the 
other. We are going to make this happen. If we can spend nearly $20 
billion on reconstruction in Iraq, this country can surely open up its 
pocketbook and provide some much needed help for family farmers in a 
significant part of this country who have suffered weather-related 
disasters. That is a fact.

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