[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 61 (Thursday, April 26, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H2144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              SUGAR REFORM

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, last week, liberal MSNBC host Ed Schultz 
found himself agreeing with the Heritage Foundation and Mitt Romney. 
What issue could possibly unite liberals and conservatives? The answer 
is: sugar reform.
  You see, sugar farmers and sugar processors benefit from a Federal 
sugar program that fixes prices and guarantees their profits. Indeed, 
Schultz noted that one of the biggest processors, American Crystal 
Sugar, makes $1.5 billion in revenue and pays its CEO $2.4 million a 
year in compensation.
  While Schultz is, probably, mostly concerned about a labor dispute 
between American Crystal and its workers, I hope he will also consider 
the many other workers in sugar-using industries. The Federal program 
inflates the price of sugar in the U.S., placing American sugar users 
at a severe disadvantage to their foreign competition. In the last 15 
years, more than 100,000 workers in sugar-using industries have lost 
their jobs.
  I've been proud to work with Congressman Danny Davis to reform this 
program and to make it fair for everyone. Democrats and Republicans, 
liberals and conservatives agree that the government shouldn't be 
guaranteeing corporate profits at the expense of workers and consumers. 
I hope the Ag Committee will reform the sugar program as we deal with 
the farm bill.

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