[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[House]
[Pages 27985-27993]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



   SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT THE PRESIDENT SHOULD RECOMMEND ACTIONS FOR 
                  RELIEVING VICTIMS OF HURRICANE FLOYD

  Mrs. FOWLER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 349) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives that the President should immediately transmit to 
Congress the President's recommendations for emergency response 
actions, including appropriate offsets, to provide relief and 
assistance to the victims of Hurricane Floyd.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 349

       Resolved,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       The House of Representatives finds the following:
       (1) Hurricane Floyd made landfall on the coast of North 
     Carolina on September 15, 1999, as a category two hurricane.
       (2) In the State of North Carolina alone, the hurricane 
     caused the deaths of at least 50 individuals, damage to more 
     than 40,000 homes, and billions of dollars in infrastructure 
     damage and agricultural losses.
       (3) Citizens of the States of Florida, Georgia, South 
     Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, 
     Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut have 
     registered for Federal disaster relief aid as a result of 
     Hurricane Floyd.
       (4) More than 6 weeks after this disaster, the citizens of 
     these States continue to await critical assistance from the 
     Federal government to rebuild their homes, businesses, and 
     lives.

     SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

       It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
     President should immediately transmit to Congress the 
     President's recommendations for emergency response actions, 
     including appropriate offsets, to provide relief and 
     assistance to the victims of Hurricane Floyd.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Fowler) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Fowler).
  Mrs. FOWLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill notes that the President should immediately 
transmit to Congress the President's recommendations for emergency 
response actions, including appropriate offsets, to provide relief and 
assistance to the victims of Hurricane Floyd.
  On September the 14th, 1999, the State of Florida was staring 
Hurricane Floyd right in the face. Floyd was at that time packing winds 
of over 140 miles an hour. It was almost three times the size of 
Hurricane Andrew, which devastated southern Florida in 1992.
  We should be thankful that Hurricane Floyd weakened and caused much 
less damage than initially seemed likely. But that is of little solace, 
however, to the victims of the heavy rains that Floyd delivered all 
along the East Coast.
  In Florida alone, thousands of residents have registered for disaster 
assistance. They are among the tens of thousands of flood victims from 
Florida to Connecticut who need our assistance and need it quickly. 
However, before Congress can make certain that enough assistance is 
available, we need the President's estimate of how much additional 
money is required to meet the needs of these suffering individuals.
  Unfortunately, the administration does not seem to think that this is 
an urgent matter. This resolution should change his mind. Now, if the 
President does not intend to propose any additional assistance because 
he believes no further aid is necessary, then we need to hear that. But 
I can tell my colleagues, based on what I know, we will need additional 
aid; and I would hope the executive branch, including the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, can help us figure out an appropriate 
amount of assistance so that we can get the ball rolling.
  The flooding caused by Floyd has victimized too many people. Let us 
not victimize them again. I urge support for this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Coble); and pending that, I ask unanimous consent 
that the gentleman from North Carolina be permitted to control this 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton).
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, Hurricane Floyd was the worst natural 
disaster in the history of our State, North Carolina. Six weeks after 
the flood waters reached the roof tops of almost 50,000 homes, 
destroying more than 6,500 homes, an excess of 72,000 North Carolina 
citizens have now applied to FEMA for help.

                              {time}  1715

  That is why I am a cosponsor of this resolution. We need the 
President to step up to the plate, and he has. We need the Congress to 
step up to the plate, and we have. But existing FEMA and Department of 
Agriculture resources are not enough. More is needed if North Carolina 
is to recover and then rebuild.

[[Page 27986]]

  While I support this resolution and commend the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Taylor) for introducing it, I want to disassociate myself 
with some parts of it.
  The resolution calls for the findings of offsets to fund the 
immediate need of hurricane victims. Such a requirement is inconsistent 
with the focus of current discussion about providing help. Both 
Congress and the President must work together, cooperate and pass 
emergency supplemental legislation. Mr. Speaker, we all know that 
emergency legislation does not require offsets. Moreover, emergency 
legislation does not require the President to act, but the Congress can 
act.
  The people of North Carolina face major modifications in life as they 
have known it. Families have been uprooted. Farmers have been 
disrupted. Homeowners and business owners have been displaced. They 
need our help now, not in January. So we need the President and the 
Congress to work together to make sure that we pass emergency 
legislation for the people of North Carolina and other States affected 
by the recent disasters.
  Let us take that step together with the administration. Let us do it 
without offsets. We do not need offsets. So let us pass this resolution 
to remind us that this is emergency funding that we need. And this 
really is not a matter of politics. This really is a matter of 
responding to an emergency.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today, Mr. Speaker, in support of this resolution. Between 
September 14 and 17 of this year, Hurricane Floyd ravaged the East 
Coast, depositing 18 inches of rain on sections of North Carolina, 
which had not yet begun to recover from the damages brought by 
Hurricane Dennis only 2 weeks earlier.
  It is my understanding, Mr. Speaker, that over 72,000 North 
Carolinians have registered for Federal disaster assistance. Yet 6 
weeks after the disaster, the 11 States that were declared disaster 
areas continue to await Federal aid.
  The Congress is not equipped nor tasked with the responsibility of 
assessing and estimating natural disasters. This is the job of the 
executive branch in conjunction with the States. As such, we depend on 
its expertise when trying to respond to tragedies of this nature, and 
that is what has brought us here today. President Clinton visited North 
Carolina almost 5 weeks ago and promised our folks there that, We would 
help them every step of the way. Well, Mr. Speaker, our folks are still 
waiting for this help.
  The resolution before us today requests that the President 
immediately transmit to Congress the President's recommendations for 
emergency response actions, including appropriate offsets, to provide 
relief and assistance to the victims of Hurricane Floyd. I certainly 
hope this request does not fall upon deaf ears, because the individuals 
victimized by this disaster are desperately waiting for our help.
  Now, on the issue of offsets, some folks up here, Mr. Speaker, call 
me a Johnny-One-Note when it comes to the subject of imprudent 
spending. But when I look at the natural disasters that have plagued 
our Nation in the last few years, I become frustrated that we have such 
a difficult time helping our own folks but can find billions of dollars 
to send overseas for matters such as Kosovo.
  Now, I think Kosovo spending is appropriate to mention regarding this 
resolution, because funds which have already been spent for the Kosovo 
effort would likely address the needs of the thousands of suffering 
eastern North Carolinians. But, unfortunately, that fiscal horse is out 
of the barn. In the future, I hope that we in the Congress, and 
President Clinton, will carefully and deliberately approach involvement 
in foreign conflicts prior to spending American taxpayer monies 
imprudently and recklessly.
  As many people know, I was an ardent opponent of our involvement in 
Kosovo from the very beginning. And this operation, which has cost $6.5 
billion, not including what we spent for operations in Bosnia and 
Haiti, would have adequately addressed the needs of the people of North 
Carolina, and most of those in other disaster-designated areas along 
the Eastern Seaboard.
  If our government, Mr. Speaker, and I hate to be this critical, but 
if our government would behave like most American families and save for 
a rainy day, we would not be standing here 6 weeks after the disasters 
have wiped out eastern North Carolina begging the President to send us 
his request. But here we are. And I hope and pray, Mr. Speaker, that 
before the next 6 weeks pass, the Clinton administration will send us a 
package so that we can evaluate it and assist our citizens who so 
desperately need our help.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I do not want to let this opportunity pass 
without expressing thanks to the United States Coast Guard for the 
outstanding job they did. Right now these men and women are working day 
and night on search and recovery operations resulting from the downing 
of Egypt Air Flight 990. During Hurricane Floyd, Mr. Speaker, Coast 
Guard men and women risked their lives to rescue people across eastern 
North Carolina. And not unlike other Members in this body, I believe 
this great service that they provide to our country is often 
overlooked, and I want to recognize that to that end.
  I hope, Mr. Speaker, that this Hurricane Floyd problem can be 
resolved quickly and appropriately.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Price).
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, let me first express 
gratitude to the administration and to the Congress for the actions 
already taken to relieve the suffering of the victims of Hurricane 
Floyd and to help rebuild North Carolina and other affected States.
  Our people are getting help, and I want to specifically thank the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh) and the gentleman from West 
Virginia (Mr. Mollohan) for their work to replenish FEMA's disaster 
account in the VA-HUD appropriations bill to make sure emergency aid 
will not be delayed. I want to thank the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. 
Skeen), the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), and Secretary Glickman 
for their work to ensure that our farm families get a fair share of the 
limited disaster assistance in the agriculture appropriations bill. And 
we are deeply grateful for the dedication FEMA administrator James Lee 
Witt has demonstrated in service to our people.
  The problem is that the Agriculture Department's and FEMA's existing 
programs are not sufficient to the present need. Not everyone is being 
helped, and not everyone is getting the level of help that they need.
  This Congress has no business adjourning without finishing the job of 
addressing the immediate needs created by this disaster, and I want to 
do all I can to make sure the Federal Government does its part, as we 
have with other disasters in the past.
  We in Congress need to work in cooperation with the administration to 
help the victims of Hurricane Floyd get back on their feet, rebuild, 
and recover from their losses. In doing so, we can restore their faith 
in the future.
  The administration and Governor Jim Hunt have been working together 
to meet North Carolina's needs within existing programs to the maximum 
extent possible. In the process, they are reaching hard conclusions 
about what additional funding and authority will be necessary to meet 
the challenge in North Carolina and other States. I have strongly 
encouraged the President to expedite this process, for North Carolina 
and the other States, and to recommend to Congress the legislation 
necessary to respond. I am an optimist. I believe the administration 
and Congress will in fact cooperate and will in fact finish this job.
  I must say, though, that I have reservations that this resolution 
seems to create a new orthodoxy in the House that no supplemental or 
emergency appropriation is in order unless requested by the President. 
That simply is not so.
  In May, in fact, the House passed a supplemental appropriations bill 
that

[[Page 27987]]

included $4.75 billion for the Department of Defense that the President 
did not request. We approved $332 million in agricultural funds that 
included livestock disaster assistance, housing repair, and flood 
operations, all items similar to what we are seeking for Floyd victims, 
and not one dime of that was asked for by the President. We included 
$1.3 billion in FEMA aid, including funds for the unmet need accounts, 
although the President requested no unmet needs program. The FEMA 
disaster relief item included $528 million more than the President had 
asked for. In total, the Congress approved more than $5 billion in 
excess of the administration's request. And by the same token, the 
Congress declined to appropriate many items that the President did 
recommend.
  My point, Mr. Speaker, is simple. Congress is not bound by the 
President's recommendations; neither is Congress prohibited from acting 
on a need prior to a presidential request. The House Committee on 
Appropriations did act in late September, at my request, to approve 
$508 million that the administration had not yet requested for 
Hurricane Floyd relief for farmers in the Labor-HHS-Education 
appropriations bill, and OMB subsequently endorsed that proposal. It is 
still unclear to me why the congressional leadership chose to strip 
those funds from that bill, which was cleared for the President this 
morning by the other body.
  So I hope this resolution is not intended to create a new requirement 
of a presidential request for disaster funding. This is a straitjacket 
the House has appropriately avoided in the past. It is one we should 
avoid with the Hurricane Floyd disaster and disasters in the future.
  Mr. Speaker, I choose to interpret this resolution as simply 
affirming that Congress and the President need to work together to 
respond to the suffering of the victims of Hurricane Floyd and to help 
rebuild the States that suffered Floyd's wrath. I hope that by passing 
this resolution we can get past any differences and move forward 
together to finish the job of assisting the victims of this terrible 
disaster.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, may I ask of the Chair the amount of time I 
have remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). Both sides have 13\1/2\ minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman 
from New Jersey (Mrs. Roukema).
  Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time; and, Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that, as has already been 
indicated, there has been a terrible toll from Florida to North 
Carolina to New Jersey and beyond. Families have suffered dreadfully, 
even those beyond the television camera lenses.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to say in strong support of this resolution that 
Hurricane Floyd wreaked havoc upon the Atlantic Seaboard with a path of 
destruction that included 11 States, yet 6 weeks since the disaster we 
are still awaiting Federal aid. That has already been outlined.
  I want to stress here and bring to the attention not only of the 
House but to the President that I have introduced, along with the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) and many other Members, 
legislation to provide FEMA grants to small businesses and farms that 
have been affected by this disaster. It would be a one-time grant, but 
one that is absolutely essential now for those poor farmers and those 
poor small businessmen who have exceeded any loan possibilities.
  I hope that this will be taken into consideration and it will be 
recognized that the President can come forward as soon as possible with 
a range of pieces of help that would include this one-time grant relief 
that the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) and I have 
proposed.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 349, 
expressing the sense of the House that the President immediately inform 
Congress of his plans to respond, with appropriate offsets, to the 
emergency created by Hurricane Floyd.
  My Colleagues, as I rise in this House this afternoon, it is 
raining--and raining hard--once again in North Carolina. I want my 
colleagues to know how deeply we feel for the flood-ravaged people in 
eastern and central North Carolina. We must not diminish their 
suffering, nor the attention they so richly deserve.
  But, Mr. Speaker, not all of Floyd's damage shared the spotlight of 
national attention. This storm took a terrible, hidden, toll in 
communities far from the television camera lens. From Florida to North 
Carolina to New Jersey and beyond!
  All four of my counties in northern New Jersey suffered some damage 
as a result of Floyd. The worst damage was in Bergen County--in 
northeastern New Jersey. Rivers and streams overflowed their banks and 
submerged whole neighborhoods and business districts. Dams burst. 
Bridges washed out. Roads were damaged. Municipal buildings and police 
stations were inundated. The drinking water system was compromised. And 
the telephone infrastructure was paralyzed for several days due to 
flooding at a key switching facility in Rochelle Park.
  Newspaper reports just this morning pin the public and private damage 
from Floyd at around $400 million in Bergen County alone.
  Mr. Speaker, Hurricane Floyd wreaked havoc up and down the Atlantic 
seaboard leaving a path of destruction, death and despair. Eleven 
states have registered for federal disaster aid. But in the six weeks 
since the disaster, many still await federal aid.
  It is obvious from damage assessments that much more aid than 
currently exists will be needed. The President must come together with 
Congress and respond to this unprecedented disaster in a fiscally 
responsible manner.
  Mr. Speaker, small businesses and farms are the backbone of the 
economic life of many of our communities. Federal assistance only in 
the form of loans is available for these hard working families and many 
can not afford to take on the extra financial burden.
  I also want to bring to attention of this House and the President 
that I have introduced legislation, along with Congresswoman Clayton 
and many other Members, to provide FEMA grants to small businesses and 
farms that have been affected by this disaster. It is our intent that 
this is a one-time grant for a one-time disaster. Our bill would:
  Make FEMA grants available up to $20,000 to replace non-insured 
contents and inventory or repairs as a result of a disaster.
  Grants would only be available to small business owners and farmers 
for emergency needs for a period of 90 days after the Presidents 
declares a natural disaster.
  Small businesses and agricultural enterprises would only be allowed 
one grant and would not be eligible for grants for any subsequent 
disaster.
  Any business accepting a grant must purchase and maintain flood 
insurance.
  Any business accepting a grant can not use the grant to relocate 
outside of the community except for federally approved mitigation 
purposes.
  Our bill will be an important component of the relief package for 
victims of Hurricane Floyd and I strongly urge the President to come 
forward as soon as possible with a responsible and broad-based response 
to the disaster that includes this grant relief caused by Hurricane 
Floyd.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge).

                              {time}  1730

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of thousands of North Carolinians 
that were devastated by Hurricane Floyd and the floodwaters that 
followed. It is simply wrong that the lives of these victims have been 
caught up in this year-end game being played out over the budget.
  The lesson here is clear: If they are going to have a disaster, have 
it early in the appropriations process or risk being thrown around like 
a hot potato.
  I am going to support this resolution today because I believe the 
administration has a responsibility to come forward with 
recommendations for a relief package, and I have personally written the 
President and asked him to do so. But I cannot help but wonder if this 
resolution is just another rhetorical shot in the Republican 
leadership's war with the White House over the budget.
  We all know we do not have to wait on the President to begin the 
process. The governor of North Carolina, working closely with FEMA 
Director James

[[Page 27988]]

Lee Witt and other Federal agencies, has provided Congress a strong and 
critical disaster package. We ought to be using that package to move 
the process forward.
  We do not have to wait for the President. We do not work for the 
President. We work for the people. I have looked into the eyes of 
people who have lost everything, Mr. Speaker. The wife who lost her 
husband, the farmer who lost his crop, the thousands of men, women and 
children who have lost every possession that they own simply do not 
have the time for the petty politics being played out here in 
Washington. They do not care whether it is the President, the Congress, 
or Santa Claus who brings them relief. They just know they need it and 
they need it now.
  People who are wearing borrowed clothes, who are living in temporary 
trailers, who are out of work, who have lost their businesses, their 
possessions, and in some cases at least 50 of their loved ones, these 
people do not care who proposes, they do not care who disposes. All 
they care about is getting help that they need to get back on their 
feet.
  I am going to support this resolution. This symbolic gesture is fine 
and good, but the victims of these disasters need more than symbols. 
They need money, and they need it now. We need to do more than talk 
about passing resolutions. We need to act. We need to work together, 
the President and Congress, to make the future a little brighter for 
the people of North Carolina and the other States who have lost so 
much.
  I, for one, am committed to working with all of my colleagues, 
Democrats, Republicans and the administration, to craft and pass a 
disaster relief package that we can all be proud of.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick).
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution and 
requesting the President to get his request down here to Congress so we 
can act.
  People in North Carolina are really hurting badly. We have heard this 
before, but I was down there the last couple of days going throughout 
the area and people are living in homes because they have nowhere else 
to go that are full of mold. They are starting to get bad respiratory 
infections. The farmers that are just totally devastated do not know 
which way to turn or where they are going to go to get help. This story 
goes on and on. It does not matter what county they are in.
  I kept hearing the phrase, ``You never seem to have any trouble 
sending the money overseas to those foreign countries. Why in the world 
can't you seem to get some down here to help us?'' And that is kind of 
hard to explain.
  So I, again, am here in support of this resolution and hope that we 
can move quickly on this, because people's lives are on hold. They are 
literally just waiting for some help.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, might I inquire about the balance of 
time?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). Each side has 11 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), a dynamic woman.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the dynamic ranking member for 
yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to rise in support of this resolution, with full 
knowledge that the resolution itself is harmless. It basically says we 
hope the President will work with us on this, but the truth is that 
this Congress several times this year has had the opportunity to 
appropriate the money to help the victims in North Carolina, the 
farmers who have suffered drought related losses all across this 
country, and we have consistently failed to do that every month.
  In fact, in the bill that our committee has responsibility for, the 
appropriations bill, our committee was dismissed and never called back 
as Members waited to offer amendments to deal with the serious 
situation in North Carolina, and the bills that passed in prior weeks 
here have not accommodated the full range of losses across this 
country.
  So, in a way, I guess it is good to shift the buck up the street, but 
the truth is that we in the Congress have the power, we have had the 
power, and there was no reason for our committees to be discharged of 
their duties.
  So those of us who have been to many of these regions recognize the 
huge losses that exist out there both in life, limb, and property. And 
it is unconscionable that this Congress would be fiddling around in the 
closing days of this first session of the 106th Congress in passing a 
resolution that has no money attached to it when in fact we have had 
several opportunities to do that.
  I would just say to the gentleman from North Carolina, I hope that he 
would agree to regular order and that the committees of jurisdiction be 
allowed to act and to meet the needs of the Nation as this resolution 
is brought forward.
  I would also like to enter into the Record the lopsided picture of 
what is wrong with the bills that have been passed prior this year that 
do not fully deal with the loss situation affecting regions across this 
country, not just those that have been affected by Hurricane Floyd, but 
regions that have truly suffered from drought and economic loss all 
across rural America. We actually let a two-legged dog get through here 
and passed it a few weeks ago, but it certainly does not deal with the 
range of losses across our country.

                  News From Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur


          lopsided farm bill: what's wrong with this picture?

       The lopsided $8.7 billion fiscal 2000 Agricultural 
     Appropriations relief bill fails to link the major share of 
     assistance to farmer hardship or loss. It provides only $1.2 
     billion for natural disaster relief across our entire nation. 
     It does not include needed funds for hurricane losses in 
     North Carolina. Yet it then targets $5.5 billion in 
     Agricultural Market Transition Act (AMTA) payments to certain 
     farmers with $1.2 billion of these payments going to just 
     five Congressional Districts. Forty percent of all AMTA 
     payments--$2.2 billion--will be distributed in only five 
     states: Iowa, Texas, Illinois, Nebraska and Kansas.
       Five Congressional Districts get as much money in AMTA 
     payments as is available for the entire nation for natural 
     disaster assistance. These AMTA payments will not go to 
     farmers who lost their crops. They go to people who signed 
     production contracts with USDA three years ago based on the 
     average of acreage planted between 1991 and 1995, even though 
     some of them are no longer even actively involved in farming. 
     And this $5.5 billion is added on top of $3 billion in 
     similar payments that were made last year. Taxpayers are now 
     paying more to assist farmers with economic losses than they 
     were before Freedom to Farm was passed in 1996.
       Some of us tried to argue that money should be targeted 
     towards those farmers who have suffered the greatest losses. 
     That means starting with the people who have had their entire 
     crops wiped out by drought or Hurricane Floyd, regardless of 
     what they produce.
       You may remember hearing during debate that Congress had to 
     pass this bill because ``we can't delay payments to 
     farmers.'' Yet the Republican-led Congress has delayed this 
     bill all year long as rural America faces crisis. Natural 
     disaster victims and those who suffered real losses should be 
     the people who are first in line. This bill does them no 
     justice.
       Rather, the first to receive the largest share of taxpayer-
     borne benefits are individuals who planted and harvested a 
     crop for which they are being paid under ``Freedom to Farm''. 
     Some people who are no longer actively involved in farming at 
     all will receive payments. These are the people who can 
     expect their check just two weeks after this bill is signed 
     into law, while those who may have lost everything will have 
     to wait! Even then, producers who may have lost everything 
     will get only cents on the dollar, while others who did not 
     suffer natural disasters will get a doubling of payments for 
     crops they harvested or didn't have to plant.
       And because of the prejudice in the bill against livestock, 
     dairy, specialty crop and non-feed grain production, some 
     farmers who suffered huge economic losses will receive almost 
     nothing.
       Fatal flaws exist with our farm disaster response 
     mechanism. Crop insurance either doesn't provide the right 
     coverage, or in the case of many fruit, vegetable, and 
     livestock producers it doesn't provide any coverage. And 
     while the assistance Congress did provide will certainly be 
     helpful to some, since there isn't enough money to go around, 
     the first applicant doesn't get a penny until the last 
     application is processed. Continuing federal bailouts for 
     failed farm policy is not the solution. Farmers need help in 
     moving value-added products to market. And antitrust laws 
     need to be applied to agriculture to create a competitive 
     playing field for

[[Page 27989]]

     farmers. This bill accomplishes none of these goals.
       I and many of our colleagues in the Agricultural 
     Appropriations Conference were prepared to offer amendments 
     to try to begin to address the real dimensions of the crisis. 
     We were never given the chance. We were sent away while a few 
     members handpicked by the majority leaders negotiated this 
     bogus deal without consultation with members of the 
     conference committee or with USDA. And they produced a 
     lopsided deal whereby some of the largest, most profitable 
     farms will be among the bill's biggest beneficiaries. Philip 
     Brasher, the AP Farm Writer notes, ``an individual farm could 
     claim up to $460,000 in subsidies a year--double the current 
     restriction,'' and the bill ``creates a new loophole for 
     producers to get around'' any cap. The Wichita Eagle quoted 
     one farmer who said ``I probably would have made it without 
     the relief, but I am sure glad to get it.''
       Agriculture is vital to our nation and to world trade. 
     Farmers deserve a fair price for their production, and I 
     certainly agree that farm prices are so low that many 
     producers may be forced out of business without some help. 
     That principle applies from the largest wheat producer to the 
     smallest blueberry producer, from the grandest corn farm to 
     the smallest livestock feed lot. Farmer should not be pitted 
     against farmer, or commodity against commodity. That is the 
     grossest violation of the spirit of Freedom to Farm, along 
     with its exorbitant rising costs.
       Every person should know more about what it takes to 
     produce the food that we find in our grocery stores, our 
     restaurants, our school cafeterias, our hospitals, and our 
     homes. If it wasn't for the farmer, many more than just Old 
     Mother Hubbard would find their cupboards are bare. I urge 
     all of my colleagues to demand that equity be restored to our 
     farm programs. Our first resolution of the new millennium 
     should be using food policy to build a sustainable future, 
     not a politically expedient deal.

                         PRODUCTION FLEXIBILITY CONTRACT (PFC) AND MARKET LOSS ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS (MLA) AS OF OCTOBER 12, 1999
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          State                                 1996 PFC           1997 PFC           1998 PFC           1998 MLA           1999 PFC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama..................................................         40,467,520         38,637,285         39,652,395         19,680,513         38,391,391
Alaska...................................................            113,113             95,744            154,628             75,909            142,563
Arizona..................................................         48,636,715         41,342,850         42,505,051         20,979,038         41,248,942
Arkansas.................................................        270,218,405        255,665,945        269,503,828        133,470,899        261,207,857
California...............................................        214,426,465        194,536,442        200,724,584         99,587,621        194,572,135
Colorado.................................................         99,060,318        101,549,848         96,113,822         47,737,482         92,403,334
Connecticut..............................................            657,596          1,277,726            966,990            480,786            898,918
Delaware.................................................          4,078,892          5,767,472          4,656,452          2,314,615          4,531,736
Florida..................................................          7,674,380          8,611,463          8,218,456          4,055,333          7,938,618
Georgia..................................................         78,967,887         78,301,242         78,636,870         38,960,173         76,801,353
Idaho....................................................         88,020,599         66,870,229         69,767,907         34,591,091         68,048,964
Illinois.................................................        336,934,970        591,872,146        468,976,183        233,055,424        453,786,170
Indiana..................................................        167,654,680        292,306,113        231,267,914        114,828,722        223,747,809
Iowa.....................................................        350,204,031        680,482,273        535,614,804        266,154,282        519,964,728
Kansas...................................................        422,164,508        416,585,321        398,275,458        197,861,866        386,393,943
Kentucky.................................................         44,131,781         69,425,501         58,096,735         28,869,581         56,318,672
Louisiana................................................        142,444,729        136,690,573        142,032,423         70,385,588        137,002,688
Maine....................................................            635,174          1,095,546            881,945            436,922            841,779
Maryland.................................................         13,191,365         19,553,845         15,820,657          7,855,606         15,362,962
Massachusetts............................................            418,824            803,624            624,087            310,149            573,344
Michigan.................................................         77,447,224        122,137,888         98,680,357         48,964,748         94,661,227
Minnesota................................................        261,553,161        383,872,571        325,271,980        161,603,801        314,081,476
Mississippi..............................................        141,277,996        128,368,053        134,540,137         66,671,827        130,768,145
Missouri.................................................        153,285,922        191,717,004        177,033,330         87,876,328        172,221,428
Montana..................................................        161,753,555        120,285,965        128,284,315         63,688,586        123,519,045
Nebraska.................................................        303,285,725        490,124,795        400,684,537        199,131,540        388,298,130
Nevada...................................................          1,292,856            975,910            966,266            480,632            892,455
New Hampshire............................................            298,590            579,581            443,156            220,246            416,553
New Jersey...............................................          2,282,197          3,506,792          2,799,291          1,392,834          2,614,370
New Mexico...............................................         20,730,461         22,034,510         20,138,880          9,985,810         19,262,720
New York.................................................         23,103,691         38,975,280         30,722,830         15,255,562         29,335,341
North Carolina...........................................         59,249,242         70,831,744         63,870,858         31,699,576         61,452,996
North Dakota.............................................        309,725,393        245,064,378        247,571,781        123,043,118        241,086,814
Ohio.....................................................        124,604,065        193,394,113        157,377,107         78,207,627        152,049,988
Oklahoma.................................................        186,662,781        144,934,642        151,801,266         75,381,123        145,750,351
Oregon...................................................         45,904,919         34,101,905         36,906,952         18,316,880         35,452,257
Pennsylvania.............................................         17,640,039         30,342,086         23,856,680         11,844,120         22,706,512
Rhode Island.............................................             22,996             42,700             32,620             16,219             31,167
South Carolina...........................................         29,480,189         31,484,492         29,833,675         14,814,764         28,697,339
South Dakota.............................................        151,823,144        183,138,057        161,761,468         80,363,059        157,964,862
Tennessee................................................         54,024,748         58,275,295         56,163,498         27,921,231         54,463,897
Texas....................................................        487,910,686        499,061,577        489,390,775        242,987,274        471,675,111
Utah.....................................................          8,220,349          7,087,833          7,528,915          3,743,473          7,190,709
Vermont..................................................          1,023,526          1,945,013          1,494,511            742,676          1,435,527
Virginia.................................................         19,540,254         25,449,752         21,871,161         10,838,183         20,927,048
Washington...............................................        116,986,240         87,803,692         93,801,146         46,568,383         89,011,067
West Virginia............................................          1,631,977          2,813,180          2,228,698          1,107,232          2,117,358
Wisconsin................................................         86,504,956        159,860,721        125,601,573         62,437,805        120,841,099
Wyoming..................................................          9,062,684          8,587,674          8,607,507          4,283,253          8,187,045
                                                          ==============================================================================================
    Total................................................      5,186,431,518      6,288,268,390      5,661,756,462      2,811,279,510      5,477,289,938
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This page was created by Bradley Karmen on June 24, 1999 and updated on October 13, 1999.


                EXPECTED MARKET LOSS PAYMENTS FOR FY 1999
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               1999
           Representative, State, and District             Supplemental
                                                              Payment
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ackerman, Gary L.: NY--05...............................         $21,000
Aderholt, Robert B.: AL--04.............................       4,736,000
Allen, Thomas H.: ME--01................................         165,000
Andrews, Robert E.: NJ--01..............................         465,000
Archer, Bill: TX--07....................................       2,454,000
Armey, Richard K.: TX--26...............................       4,318,000
Bachus, Spencer: AL--06.................................         710,000
Baird, Brian: WA--03....................................       1,291,000
Baker, Richard H.: LA--06...............................       3,502,000
Baldacci, John Elias: ME--02............................         771,000
Baldwin, Tammy: WI--02..................................      40,091,000
Ballenger, Cass: NC--10.................................       1,642,000
Barcia, James A.: MI--05................................      27,292,000
Barr, Bob: GA--07.......................................         663,000
Barrett, Bill: NE--03...................................     306,519,000
Barrett, Thomas M.: WI--05..............................          30,000
Bartlett, Roscoe G.: MD--06.............................       2,927,000
Barton, Joe: TX--06.....................................       4,188,000
Bass, Charles F.: NH--02................................         450,000
Bateman, Herbert H.: VA--01.............................       4,412,000
Becerra, Xavier: CA--30.................................          46,000
Bentsen, Ken: TX--25....................................       2,454,000
Bereuter, Doug: NE--01..................................     122,501,000
Berkley, Shelley: NV--01................................          12,000
Berman, Howard L.: CA--26...............................          46,000
Berry, Marion: AR--01...................................     173,946,000
Biggert, Judy: IL--13...................................       6,111,000
Bilbray, Brian P.: CA--49...............................          19,000
Bilirakis, Michael: FL--09..............................          10,000
Bishop, Sanford D., Jr.: GA--02.........................      37,418,000
Blagojevich, Rod R.: IL--05.............................         322,000
Bliley, Thomas J., Jr.: VA--07..........................       2,066,000
Blumenauer, Earl: OR--03................................         186,000
Blunt, Roy: MO--07......................................       5,260,000
Boehlert, Sherwood, L.: NY--23..........................       3,882,000
Boehner, John A.: OH--08................................      24,549,000
Bonilla, Henry: TX--23..................................      11,776,000
Bonior, David E.: MI--10................................       2,072,000
Bono, Mary: CA--44......................................       2,039,000
Boswell, Leonard L.: IA--03.............................      99,245,000
Boucher, Rick: VA--09...................................       1,004,000
Boyd, Allen: FL--02.....................................       3,681,000
Brady, Kevin: TX--08....................................       6,740,000
Brady, Robert A.: PA--01................................          43,000
Brown, Corrine: FL--03..................................          66,000
Brown, George E., Jr.: CA--42...........................           2,000
Brown, Sherrod: OH--13..................................       3,970,000
Bryant, Ed: TN--07......................................      10,386,000
Burr, Richard M.: NC--05................................       1,646,000
Burton, Dan: IN--06.....................................      27,257,000
Buyer, Stephen E.: IN--05...............................      75,152,000
Callahan, Sonny: AL--01.................................       4,750,000
Calvert, Ken: CA--43....................................       2,039,000
Camp, Dave: MI--04......................................      20,415,000
Campbell, Tom: CA--15...................................          45,000
Canady, Charles T.: FL--12..............................         107,000
Cannon, Chris: UT--03...................................       1,607,000
Capps, Lois: CA--22.....................................         653,000
Capuano, Michael: MA--08................................          31,000
Cardin, Benjamin L.: MD--03.............................         950,000
Carson, Julia: IN--10...................................         484,000
Castle, Michael N.: DE--00..............................       5,070,000
Chabot, Steve: OH--01...................................         196,000
Chambliss, Saxby: GA--08................................      17,046,000
Chenoweth, Helen: ID--01................................      19,658,000
Clay, William (Bill): MO--01............................         331,000
Clayton, Eva M.: NC--01.................................      38,531,000
Clement, Bob: TN--05....................................       1,543,000

[[Page 27990]]

 
Clyburn, James E.: SC--06...............................      18,359,000
Coble, Howard: NC--06...................................       1,164,000
Coburn, Tom A.: OK--02..................................       6,003,000
Collins, Mac: GA--03....................................         264,000
Combest, Larry: TX--19..................................     105,448,000
Condit, Gary A.: CA--18.................................      36,180,000
Conyers, John, Jr.: MI--14..............................          93,000
Cook, Merrill: UT--02...................................         188,000
Cooksey, John: LA--05...................................      66,373,000
Costello, Jerry F.: IL--12..............................      18,249,000
Coyne, William J.: PA--14...............................          24,000
Cramer, Robert E. ``Bud'', Jr.: AL--05..................      11,791,000
Crane, Philip M.: IL--08................................       1,032,000
Cubin, Barbara: WY--00..................................       7,583,000
Cummings, Elijah E.: ME--07.............................         627,000
Cunningham, Randy ``Duke'': CA--51......................          19,000
Danner, Pat: MO--06.....................................      45,003,000
Davis, Danny K.: IL--07.................................         322,000
Davis, Jim: FL--11......................................           7,000
Davis, Thomas M. III: VA--11............................         117,000
Deal, Nathan: GA--09....................................         527,000
DeFazio, Peter A.: OR--04...............................       1,019,000
DeGette Diana: CO--01...................................       4,092,000
Delahunt, William D.: MA--10............................          53,000
DeLauro, Rosa L.: CT--03................................          82,000
DeLay, Tom: TX--22......................................      13,123,000
DeMint, Jim: SC--04.....................................         254,000
Dickey, Jay: AR--04.....................................      45,782,000
Dicks, Norman D.: WA--06................................          30,000
Dingell, John D.: MI--16................................       2,979,000
Dixon, Julian C.: CA--32................................          46,000
Doggett, Lloyd: TX--10..................................       1,161,000
Dooley, Calvin M.: CA--20...............................      60,371,000
Doolittle, John T.: CA--04..............................       7,295,000
Doyle, Michael F.: PA--18...............................          24,000
Dreier, David: CA--28...................................          46,000
Duncan, John J., Jr.: TN--02............................         655,000
Dunn, Jennifer: WA--08..................................          25,000
Edwards, Chet: TX--11...................................      15,052,000
Ehlers, Vernon J.: MI--03...............................       6,444,000
Ehrlich, Robert L., Jr.: MD--02.........................       1,287,000
Emerson, Jo Ann: MO--08.................................      55,413,000
Engel, Eliot L.: NY--17.................................           2,000
English, Philip: PA--21.................................       2,557,000
Eshoo, Anna G.: CA--14..................................          45,000
Etheridge, Bob: NC--02..................................       9,917,000
Evans, lane: IL--17.....................................     108,911,000
Everett, Terry: AL--02..................................       9,623,000
Ewing, Thomas W.: IL--15................................     107,926,000
Farr, Sam: CA--17.......................................         610,000
Fattah, Chaka: PA--02...................................          43,000
Filner, Bob: CA--50.....................................          19,000
Fletcher, Ernest L.: KY--06.............................       3,394,000
Foley, Mark: FL--16.....................................         445,000
Forbes, Michael P.: NY--01..............................          21,000
Ford, Harold E., Jr.: TN--09............................       1,405,000
Fowler, Tillie K.: FL--04...............................          21,000
Frank, Barney: MA--04...................................         185,000
Franks, Bob: NJ--07.....................................         341,000
Frelinguysen, Rodney P.: NJ--11.........................         393,000
Frost, Martin: TX--24...................................       4,835,000
Gallegly, Elton: CA--23.................................          19,000
Ganske, Greg: IA--04....................................      65,138,000
Gejdenson, Sam: CT--02..................................         687,000
Gekas, George W.: PA--17................................       3,319,000
Gephardt, Richard A.: MO--03............................       1,267,000
Gibbons, Jim: NV--02....................................         863,000
Gilchrest, Wayne T.: MD--01.............................      11,664,000
Gillmor, Paul E.: OH--05................................      44,141,000
Gilman, Benjamin A.: NY--20.............................         556,000
Gonzalez, Henry B.: TX--20..............................         770,000
Goode, Virgil H., Jr.: VA--05...........................       2,496,000
Goodlatte, Robert W. (Bob): VA--06......................       1,249,000
Goodling, William F.: PA--19............................       2,888,000
Gordon, Bart: TN--06....................................       2,091,000
Graham, Lindsey O.: SC--03..............................       1,496,000
Granger, Kay: TX--12....................................       1,075,000
Green, Gene: TX--29.....................................       2,454,000
Green, Mark: WI--08.....................................      17,297,000
Greenwood, James C.: PA--08.............................         539,000
Gutierrez, Luis V.: IL--04..............................         322,000
Gutknecht, Gilbert W.: MN--01...........................      97,092,000
Hall, Ralph M.: TX--04..................................      11,117,000
Hall, Tony P.: OH--03...................................       1,579,000
Hansen, James V.: UT--01................................       4,837,000
Hastert, J. Dennis: IL--14..............................      45,115,000
Hastings, ``Doc'': WA--04...............................      28,952,000
Hastings, Alcee L.: FL--23..............................         376,000
Hayes Robin: NC--08.....................................       8,925,000
Hayworth, J.D.: AZ--06..................................      25,592,000
Hefley, Joel: CO--05....................................       1,295,000
Herger, Wally: CA--02...................................      20,518,000
Hill, Baron: IN--09.....................................      29,108,000
Hill, Rick: MT--00......................................     106,649,000
Hilleary, Van: TN--04...................................       4,900,000
Hilliard, Earl F.: AL--07...............................       4,488,000
Hinchey, Maurice D.: NY--26.............................       2,440,000
Hinojosa, Ruben: TX--15.................................      27,749,000
Hobson, David L.: OH--07................................      31,685,000
Hoeffel, Joe: PA--13....................................         231,000
Hoekstra, Peter: MI--02.................................       9,600,000
Holden, Tim: PA--06.....................................       2,779,000
Holt, Rush: NJ--12......................................       1,219,000
Hooley, Darlene: OR--05.................................       1,973,000
Horn, Stephen: CA--38...................................          46,000
Hostettler, John N.: IN--08.............................      32,629,000
Houghton, Amo: NY--31...................................       7,728,000
Hoyer, Steny H.: MD--05.................................         690,000
Hulshof, Kenny C.: MO--09...............................      36,451,000
Hunter, Duncan: CA--52..................................       3,957,000
Hutchinson, Asa: AR--03.................................         672,000
Hyde, Henry J.: IL--06..................................         569,000
Inslee, Jay: WA--01.....................................         158,000
Isakson, John: GA--06...................................           5,000
Istook, Ernest J., Jr.: OK--05..........................      14,878,000
Jackson, Jesse L., Jr.: IL--02..........................         322,000
Jenkins, William L.: TN--01.............................         748,000
John, Christopher: LA--07...............................      51,089,000
Johnson, Eddie Bernice: TX--30..........................         546,000
Johnson, Nancy L.: CT--06...............................         632,000
Johnson, Sam: TX--03....................................       2,558,000
Jones, Stephanie Tubbs: OH--11..........................           2,000
Jones, Walter B., Jr.: NC--03...........................      26,186,000
Kanjorski, Paul E.: PA--11..............................       2,570,000
Kaptur, Marcy: OH--09...................................      11,899,000
Kasich, John R.: OH--12.................................       6,496,000
Kelly, Sue W.: NY--19...................................         683,000
Kennedy, Patrick J.: RI--01.............................          13,000
Kildee, Dale E.: MI--09.................................       4,526,000
Kilpatrick, Carolyn C.: MI--15..........................          93,000
Kind, Ron: WI--03.......................................      38,628,000
Kingston, Jack: GA--01..................................       6,959,000
Kleczka, Gerald D.: WI--04..............................       1,677,000
Klink, Ron: PA--04......................................       1,447,000
Knollenberg, Joe: MI--11................................         355,000
Kolbe, Jim: AZ--05......................................      15,779,000
Kucinich, Dennis J.: OH--10.............................           2,000
Kuykendall, Steven T.: CA--36...........................          46,000
LaFalce, John J.: NY--29................................       5,126,000
LaHood, Ray: IL--18.....................................      90,297,000
Lampson, Nick: TX--09...................................      14,232,000
Largent, Steve: OK--01..................................         844,000
Larson, John B.: CT--01.................................         342,000
Latham, Tom: IA--05.....................................     227,822,000
LaTourette, Steven C.: OH--19...........................         902,000
Lazio, Rick A.: NY--02..................................          21,000
Leach, James A.: IA--01.................................      56,471,000
Lee, Barbara: CA--09....................................         109,000
Lee, Sheila Jackson: TX--18.............................       2,454,000
Levin, Sander M.: MI--12................................         839,000
Lewis, Jerry: CA--40....................................           2,000
Lewis, John: GA--05.....................................               0
Lewis, Ron: KY--02......................................      15,105,000
Linder, John: GA--11....................................         872,000
Lipinski, William O.: IL--03............................         322,000
LoBiondo, Frank A.: NJ--02..............................         972,000
Lofgren, Zoe: CA--16....................................          45,000
Lowey, Nita M.: NY--18..................................           2,000
Lucas, Frank D.: OK--06.................................      88,953,000
Lucas, Kenneth: KY--04..................................       3,007,000
Luther, William (Bill): MN--06..........................       5,540,000
Maloney, James H.: CT--05...............................          57,000
Manzullo, Donald A.: IL--16.............................      34,750,000
Markey, Edward J.: MA--07...............................          31,000
Martinez, Matthew G.: CA--31............................          46,000
Mascara, Frank: PA--20..................................       1,120,000
Matsui, Robert T.: CA--05...............................       4,716,000
McCarthy, Karen: MO--05.................................         653,000
McCollum, Bill: FL--08..................................           5,000
McCrery, Jim: LA--04....................................      10,064,000
McDermott, Jim: WA--07..................................          24,000
McGovern, James P.: MA--03..............................         283,000
McHugh, John M.: NY--24.................................       3,553,000
McInnis, Scott: CO--03..................................       4,517,000
McIntosh, David M.: IN--02..............................      39,744,000
McIntyre, Mike: NC--07..................................       8,277,000
McKeon, Howard P. ``Buck'': CA--25......................          46,000
McKinney, Cynthia A.: GA--04............................           2,000
McNulty, Michael R.: NY--21.............................       2,075,000
Meehan, Martin T.: MA--05...............................         198,000
Menendez, Robert: NJ--13................................         164,000
Metcalf, Jack: WA--02...................................         475,000
Millender-McDonald, Juanita: CA--37.....................          46,000
Miller, Dan: FL--13.....................................          10,000
Miller, Gary G.: CA--41.................................          48,000
Miller, George: CA--07..................................       2,802,000
Minge, David: MN--02....................................     157,170,000
Moakley, John Joseph: MA--09............................         155,000
Mollohan, Alan B.: WV--01...............................         311,000
Moore, Dennis: KS--03...................................       2,837,000
Moran, Jerry: KS--01....................................     288,220,000
Morella, Constance A.: MD--08...........................         764,000
Murtha, John P.: PA--12.................................       3,058,000
Myrick, Sue: NC--09.....................................         456,000
Napolitano, Grace F.: CA--34............................          46,000
Neal, Richard E.: MA--02................................         310,000
Nethercutt, George R., Jr.: WA--05......................      56,771,000
Ney, Robert W.: OH--18..................................       8,354,000
Northup, Anne M.: KY--03................................          85,000
Norwood, Charles: GA--10................................       6,626,000
Nussle, Jim: IA--02.....................................     146,148,000
Oberstar, James L.: MN--08..............................      11,425,000
Obey, David R.: WI--07..................................      17,486,000
Olver, John W.: MA--01..................................         527,000
Ortiz, Solomon P.: TX--27...............................      21,226,000
Ose, Doug: CA--03.......................................      83,019,000
Oxley, Michael G.: OH--04...............................      33,503,000
Packard, Ron: CA--48....................................       2,057,000
Pallone, Frank, Jr.: NJ--06.............................         369,000
Pastor, Ed: AZ--02......................................      29,177,000
Paul, Ron: TX--14.......................................      69,843,000
Pease, Edward A.: IN--07................................      38,639,000
Peterson, Collin C.: MN--07.............................      88,817,000
Peterson, John E.: PA--05...............................       4,442,000
Petri, Thomas E.: WI--06................................      28,236,000
Phelps, David D. IL--19.................................      87,637,000
Pickering, Charles W. ``Chip'': MS--03..................       5,964,000
Pickett, Owen B.: VA--02................................         504,000
Pitts, Joseph R.: PA--16................................       1,223,000
Pombo, Richard W.: CA--11...............................       9,099,000
Pomeroy, Earl: ND--00...................................     215,998,000
Porter, John Edward: IL--10.............................       1,032,000
Portman, Rob: OH--02....................................       5,381,000
Price, David E.: NC--04.................................         549,000
Pryce, Deborah: OH--15..................................      10,123,000
Quinn, Jack: NY--30.....................................         736,000
Radanovich, George P.: CA--19...........................      36,953,000
Rahall, Nick J. II: WV--03..............................         381,000
Ramstad, Jim: MN--03....................................       9,556,000
Regula, Ralph: OH--16...................................       8,156,000
Reyes, Silvestre: TX--16................................         300,000
Riley, Bob: AL--03......................................       1,440,000
Rivers, Lynn Nancy: MI--13..............................       2,491,000
Rodriguez, Ciro D.: TX--28..............................       9,099,000
Roemer, Timothy J: IN--03...............................      17,020,000
Rogan, James E.: CA--27.................................          46,000
Rogers, Harold: KY--05..................................       1,173,000
Roukema, Marge: NJ--05..................................         813,000
Roybal-Allard, Lucille: CA--33..........................          46,000
Royce, Edward R.: CA--39................................          46,000
Rush, Bobby L.: IL--01..................................         322,000
Ryun, Paul D.: WI--01...................................      24,892,000
Rynn, Jim: KS--02.......................................      42,948,000
Sabo, Martin Olav: MN--05...............................         761,000
Salmon, Matt: AZ--01....................................      13,350,000
Sanders, Bernard: VT--00................................       1,717,000
Sandlin, Max: TX--01....................................       5,476,000
Sanford, Marshall ``Mark'': SC--01......................       1,742,000
Sawyer, Thomas C.: OH--14...............................       1,888,000
Saxton, Jim: NJ--03.....................................         385,000
Scarborough, Joe: FL--01................................       2,876,000
Schaffer, Bob: CO--04...................................      86,039,000
Schakowsky, Janice D.: IL--09...........................         322,000
Scott, Robert C. (Bobby): VA--03........................       4,193,000
Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr.: WI--09....................      18,653,000
Sessions, Pete: TX--05..................................       3,860,000
Shadegg, John B.: AZ--04................................      13,350,000
Shaw, E. Clay, Jr.: FL--22..............................         301,000
Shays, Christopher: CT--04..............................           6,000
Sherman, Brad: CA--24...................................          46,000
Sherwood, Don: PA--10...................................       1,853,000
Shimkus, John: IL--20...................................      79,277,000
Shows, Ronnie: MS--04...................................       2,309,000
Shuster, Bud: PA--09....................................       5,905,000
Simpson, Michael ID--02.................................      41,001,000
Sisisky, Norman: VA--04.................................       7,566,000
Skeen, Joe: NM--02......................................       4,963,000
Shelton, Ike: MO--04....................................      26,246,000
Slaughter, Louise McIntosh: NY--28......................       1,158,000
Smith, Adam: WA--09.....................................          25,000
Smith, Christopher H.: NJ--04...........................         811,000
Smith, Lamar S.: TX--21.................................      14,064,000
Smith, Nick: MI--07.....................................      26,628,000
Snyder, Vic: AR--02.....................................       6,536,000
Souder, Mark E.: IN--04.................................      25,241,000
Spence, Floyd: SC--02...................................       9,003,000
Spratt, John M., Jr.: SC--05............................       9,916,000
Stabenow, Debbie: MI--08................................      11,060,000
Stark, Fortney Pete: CA--13.............................         154,000
Stearns, Cliff: FL--06..................................         159,000
Stenholm, Charles W.: TX--17............................      43,100,000
Strickland, Ted: OH--06.................................      14,739,000
Stump, Bob: AZ--03......................................      16,155,000
Stupak, Bart: MI--01....................................       2,370,000
Sununu, John E.: NH--01.................................         194,000
Sweeney, John E.: NY--22................................       3,029,000
Talent, James M.: MO--02................................       2,495,000
Tancredo, Tom: CO--06...................................       1,175,000
Tanner, John S.: TN--08.................................      33,250,000
Tauscher, Ellen O.: CA--10..............................         387,000
Tauzin, W.J. (Billy): LA--03............................       1,010,000
Taylor, Charles H.: NC--11..............................         677,000
Taylor, Gene: MS--05....................................         507,000
Terry, Lee: NE--02......................................       7,830,000
Thomas, William M.: CA--21..............................      30,032,000
Thompson, Bennie G.: MS--02.............................      96,319,000
Thompson, Mike: CA--01..................................       2,551,000
Thornberry, William M. ``Mac'': TX--13..................      12,273,000
Thune, John R.:.........................................     161,394,000
Thurman, Karen L: FL--05................................         684,000
Tiahrt, Todd: KS--04....................................      40,109,000
Tierney, John F.: MA--06................................          60,000
Toomey, Pat: PA--15.....................................       1,731,000
Traficant, James A., Jr.: OH--17........................       2,250,000
Turner, Jim: TX--02.....................................       5,693,000
Udall, Mark: CO--02.....................................       3,185,000
Udall, Tom: NM--03......................................      14,385,000
Upton, Fred: MI--06.....................................      16,655,000
Velazquez, Nydia: NY--27................................      14,150,000
Vento, Bruce F.: MN--04.................................       4,849,000
Visclosky, Peter J.: IN--01.............................       5,842,000
Vitter, David: LA--01...................................         120,000

[[Page 27991]]

 
Walden, Greg: OR--02....................................      25,203,000
Walsh, James T.: NY--25.................................       4,374,000
Wamp, Zach: TN--03......................................         778,000
Waters, Maxine: CA--35..................................          46,000
Watkins, Wes: OK--03....................................       4,284,000
Watt, Melvin L.: NC--12.................................       1,558,000
Watts, J.C. Jr.: OK--04.................................      20,267,000
Waxman, Henry A.: CA--29................................          46,000
Weldon, Curt: PA--07....................................         827,000
Weldon, Dave: FL--15....................................         165,000
Weller, Jerry: IL--11...................................      33,362,000
Wexler, Robert: FL--19..................................         301,000
Weygand, Robert A.: RI--02..............................          26,000
Whitfield, Edward: KY--01...............................      38,461,000
Wicker, Roger F.: MS--01................................      21,805,000
Wilson, Heather: MN--01.................................         377,000
Wise, Robert E., Jr.: WV--02............................       1,777,000
Wolf, Frank R.: VA--10..................................       2,347,000
Woolsey, Lynn C.: CA--06................................          27,000
Wu, David: OR--01.......................................       2,502,000
Wynn, Albert Russell: MD--04............................         828,000
Young, Don: AK--00......................................          84,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
May be slight variations due to CRP entrance and exits and payment
  limitations. Prepared by House Agriculture Committee.

  So I would say that this is a good step. It is a step, however, that 
needs to be trumped by Congress itself taking action to deal with the 
losses relating to Hurricane Floyd and other farm and rural related 
losses across the country.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Burr).
  Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from 
North Carolina for yielding me the time.
  Dennis, Floyd, and Irene are not the list of newborn names but they 
are simply a list of hurricanes that devastated eastern North Carolina 
over the past 2 months. The brunt of the damage was leveled by 
Hurricane Floyd, leaving in its wake a destructive flood that damaged 
our State and is the worst that we have ever seen.
  I ask my colleagues to stop for a minute the blame game and to 
concentrate on those individuals who live in eastern North Carolina, 
the individuals that have lost their home, lost their job, are living 
with friends or relatives or in a trailer, individuals who are still 
making a home mortgage on a house that does not exist and are being 
offered, hopefully, grants to rebuild. They are the ones that our 
hearts should go out to today and, hopefully, that this Federal 
Government is responsible to help.
  Mr. Speaker, to echo the words of the President on September 17 and 
the days following the hurricane, he said, ``We're reminded that the 
power of the American spirit is even stronger than the power of a 
hurricane.''
  Nothing could be more true. As the saying goes in our State, from 
Murphy to Manteo, the response for assistance has been overwhelming and 
it has come from every sector of our State. Whether it came from the 
banking centers in Charlotte or the churches and the civic club in 
cities in my district, no stone has been left unturned in our State to 
make sure that these people get assistance that they need to get back 
on their feet and return to a normal way of life.
  Quoting the President again on a September 16 speech at FEMA 
headquarters, he said, ``I know I speak for all when I say we do not 
want them to feel alone. We want to do everything we possibly can to be 
a good, loyal, helpful neighbor to them and get them through this.''
  Mr. Speaker, the citizens of our State have been the good, loyal 
neighbor the President spoke of. The officials on the ground, FEMA, and 
the other disaster agencies have been the helpful neighbor as well. It 
is time for the administration to step forward and be the good, loyal, 
helpful neighbor we expect of our Federal Government.
  Every day that passes without a recommendation for emergency 
assistance is another day that the loneliness the President so sought 
to avoid only sets in as reality to storm victims of our State.
  I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Taylor) for bringing 
this resolution to the floor and especially thank the overwhelming 
support of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle and our delegation 
for this resolution.
  It has been said that in international affairs partisanship stops at 
the water's edge. Based on the support of this resolution, it can also 
be said unequivocally that when a disaster of this magnitude strikes in 
our State, partisanship stops at our State borders.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. McIntyre).
  Mr. McINTYRE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for 
yielding me the time, and I thank all of my fellow North Carolinians on 
both sides of the aisle for working together to bring this resolution 
to the floor today.
  When we think about just 46 days ago Hurricane Floyd hit the Tarheel 
State with 15 inches of rain in an area already saturated by Hurricane 
Dennis and then later, just in the last 2 weeks, to be hit again by a 
third, Hurricane Irene, we realize that this is a natural disaster 
truly of Biblical proportions when we talk about flooding, something 
that has been unseen in this Nation literally since the first settlers 
arrived, with the 50 lives lost and over 47,000 homes damaged, a 
thousand roads closed, schools, waste water treatment plants, farmers, 
our beaches, all of these areas affected in negative ways.
  Governor Hunt of North Carolina has put together a very well done 
package to help this devastation, and he has worked with this 
administration to reduce the price tag of emergency requests to $17.6 
billion. For that we are thankful.
  We are thankful also for the hard work of the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Walsh), the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Mollohan), the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Taylor) and others who have worked on the Committee on 
Appropriations to help FEMA get the funding that it has received.
  But my fellow colleagues here in the House, there is more that needs 
to be done. Our farmers need help. Our coastal communities need relief 
and protection. Our small businesses need aid.
  Back in September, on the 29th of the month, all 12 members of our 
North Carolina delegation from both sides of the aisle asked the 
President to forward a relief package to Congress by October 15. 
Obviously, that request has not yet been met. But let us keep pushing 
together. Let us push the administration to get some of these needs 
met. And let us push ourselves to do the job.
  Let us indeed do not play a blame game. But let us find a way, 
instead of to complain, a way to help each other.
  Recently chosen as the greatest inventor of this century, Henry Ford 
once said that coming together is a beginning. And we have begun the 
process. And then he said keeping together is progress. And we have 
made some progress. But then he said that working together is success. 
And that is the challenge we have now, to work together with the White 
House, yes, and to work together here in the Congress, yes, that we 
allow both tracks to be running parallel, and that indeed we find a way 
not to find fault but we find a way to get the job done.
  This is the people's House and we are here, first and foremost, to 
represent the people. People that come to America or that have grown up 
in America realize that, when they have lost their home, there is not 
anywhere that they can retreat to. They are looking to us to make the 
advance to help those who have lost so much.
  May God grant us the wisdom and the will to find a way to work 
together and we will succeed.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Coble) has 8 minutes remaining.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Hayes).
  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for 
yielding me the time.
  Hurricane Floyd swept through North Carolina on September 15, 1999, 
over 6 weeks ago. In September of 1989, when Hurricane Hugo batted the 
Carolinas, President Bush requested disaster relief, and it was 
provided by the Congress in less than 2 weeks. Later, Hurricane Andrew 
devastated Florida and the Gulf States. Within 30 days a bill had been 
signed into action.
  My colleagues, I am here to say today that this delegation from North

[[Page 27992]]

Carolina has worked together tirelessly to bring the results and the 
help that North Carolina needs. They have worked around the clock, and 
we appreciate that. The private sector broadcasters had a telethon and 
raised millions of dollars. Personal calls have been made by Senators 
and House Members.
  The private sector, FEMA, the Department of Agriculture, VA-HUD, this 
Congress has worked to bring aid and relief and money to North 
Carolina.
  The missing ingredient now, Mr. Speaker, that we need is that bill 
from the White House that will help put the final piece to this puzzle 
together.

                              {time}  1745

  As others have said, this is unprecedented. Fifty confirmed 
fatalities, thousands of displaced families, 30,000 flooded homes. I 
cannot help but remember on visits to North Carolina several weeks ago, 
the looks in the eyes of the people who had lost everything. The Jones 
family in Pitt County who had been thinking of their tobacco crop at 4 
a.m. in the morning, worrying that the power would go out. They went to 
check, to see if the power was on and they found the water rising in 
their garage. From there it rose into their living room and on up it 
went. True, the Coast Guard ended up rescuing these people because of 
the water.
  I have a picture here, Mr. Speaker. We have had instances in the past 
where crops were lost. But this flood was so bad that even the farm 
equipment was lost. We see a tractor underwater. The President can come 
to the table to meet this unprecedented need by putting forward a 
request for the additional emergency aid that is so essential. In 
Duplin County as I spoke to a farm family there, I have a sequence of 
pictures showing the water rising on their poultry houses. It rose, the 
birds got up on the edges of the house, finally they were all drowned. 
Unprecedented disaster.
  We need the President to come forward with that piece which is an 
emergency supplemental bill that addresses the needs that have been so 
carefully and well outlined by my colleagues. I am disappointed that 
the lack of the initiative has been there. We need help for victims of 
Hurricane Floyd. President Clinton came to North Carolina, promised 
relief, and gave us a Federal lawsuit to finish off the tobacco 
farmers.
  Mr. Speaker, the need is there. The people are looking to us. Sixty-
five or more State legislators along with the governor have come to 
help make the case that this help is needed. People in North Carolina 
are watching and listening. We have helped people all over the world. 
We are trying to meet every need with every possible source of funds. 
Now is the time, and I hope the President will respond immediately, if 
not sooner, with that additional supplemental bill that will provide 
the relief for North Carolina that we need.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Watt) who has worked hard on this issue.
  Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, let me say at the outset 
that I intend to vote for this resolution. I do not have any problem at 
all with encouraging the President to send legislation over here on 
this issue. I think it is important for us to do that. But this is the 
second nonbinding resolution that this House has passed on this issue. 
And to the extent that we are engaging in pointing the finger of blame 
at somebody else for not passing or moving legislation forward to 
address the concerns and devastation in North Carolina, I think we are 
playing politics with this resolution. I would be less than honest if I 
did not express my concern that this resolution has more to do with 
politics than it has to do with achieving some objective of really 
helping the people in North Carolina.
  It must be strange to the people in eastern North Carolina to see us 
come to the floor with a resolution that does not have one dime in it, 
does not even suggest a dollar amount to help them, and then suggest to 
them that somehow this is the President's fault that we are not moving 
forward to try to address their needs.
  I have no problem with encouraging the President to submit a bill, 
but as the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) has indicated, 
there is no requirement or precedent or necessity for anybody external 
to this body, the President or anybody else, to come forward with a 
solution to the problems that face our State.
  I want to encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' but I want to be 
honest about the practical impact of this at the same time.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I was not even going to get into this, but since my friend from North 
Carolina mentioned it, that it would be politically motivated, I think 
we are comparing the timeliness with which we hear from the 
administration.
  In September of 1989 when Hurricane Hugo battered the Carolinas, 
President Bush requested disaster relief and it was provided by this 
Congress. This relief was signed into law less than 2 weeks after the 
hurricane struck. That was my point.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), our distinguished ranking member.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McIntyre) said it 
best. This was a hurricane and a disaster of biblical proportions. It 
struck 11 States with enormous widespread consequences, billions of 
dollars in infrastructure damage, in agricultural losses, and President 
Clinton responded promptly. The administration did not waste time 
making their disaster declaration. I commend the President for the way 
he has responded. In fact, in the last decade, this President has 
declared 42 major disasters from landfall hurricanes. Cost to FEMA, 
$7.7 billion. The 10 major disaster declarations for Hurricane Floyd 
are the most for any single hurricane in our history.
  And what are the consequences in North Carolina? What has happened? 
Seventy-three thousand individuals have been received by FEMA, filed 
applications registering for assistance. Two hundred sixty-three 
million dollars already has been spent, and more to come. Four thousand 
six hundred sixty low-interest SBA loans. 20.7 million dollars 
reimbursed to local governments for infrastructure. Seven hundred 
thirty-four travel trailers now occupied. And they are still working.
  But what troubles me the most is this resolution that says the 
President should immediately submit recommendations for emergency 
response actions, including appropriate offsets. This 106th Congress 
declared the census an emergency and provided money. We have been doing 
emergency census, then, for 200 some years. What nonsense. If it is 
that big a deal, declare it an emergency right now and provide the 
money. I do not like this kind of nonsense that we are engaged in right 
here, frankly. Why do we have to have this resolution that calls for an 
offset? Declare it simply an emergency. Be consistent. Do not play 
games with the lives, the hopes, the aspirations, the concerns of the 
people in North Carolina and other places who are deserving of help. 
Just get on with the business of this Congress. Declare it a disaster, 
declare it an emergency, provide the funds as we did for the census.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I support the resolution. I will set all the political 
talk aside. I want to commend FEMA. I think FEMA is doing a respectable 
job and they are doing everything possible to mitigate these great 
problems.
  I would like to quote my father, now deceased, here today, and I 
think I will be quoting many of your parents, many not quite with us. 
Here is the great quote: ``If we can find money for people all over the 
world, we can find money for our own people, the American people.''
  I think we have talked about this, and we have talked about this. We 
continue to talk about this. We have seen videos of hogs floating on 
the flooded plains and fields of North Carolina. It is time for us as a 
Congress to act.

[[Page 27993]]

Whatever that mechanism is that brings that action, so be it. I do 
agree with the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), if we can 
declare emergencies on other issues, perhaps we should have done that. 
But the bottom line, the intent of Congress, I believe is honorable. 
Let us get on with our business. If we can find money for people all 
over the world, we can find money for the American people in need, in 
this case in North Carolina.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. 
Clayton), the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McIntyre) and the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) were most obviously affected 
in our delegation.
  I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from North Carolina 
(Mr. Jones).
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, to the gentleman my friend 
from Durham, NC (Mr. Price), I want to read to him that we got word 
just a few minutes ago from the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Taylor) that the White House, not the House or Senate leadership, 
demanded that the $508 million for North Carolina relief be taken out 
of the Labor-HHS bill. I was not there and I do not know, but I wanted 
to pass that on since I was asked to share that with the House body.
  Mr. Speaker, I will say that we have worked very closely together. 
This is what I think is good about this Congress and good about 
America. The American people know when their brothers and sisters are 
in trouble that they come forward and do what they can to assist them. 
I think this resolution is proper. I am sorry if it has been read as 
politics, but I do not really think that it should be, because, right 
or wrong, there is a belief that we need to have the guidance and the 
leadership of the President to come forward to the Congress with his 
recommendation after consulting with OMB with recommendations as to 
what should be done for the people that have been devastated by 
Hurricane Floyd, whether it be North Carolina or other parts of the 
United States that have been devastated.
  Some of the frustration that we hear back home, and let me first say 
that FEMA and these other agencies and the multitude of volunteers has 
been enormous. It really does the heart well to know how much people 
care about others that are in trouble, but some of the frustration back 
home as the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant) just mentioned is that 
the citizens in eastern North Carolina who pay the taxes, we are 
elected in Washington to spend their tax dollars, it is the taxpayer 
that is in trouble now, particularly in eastern North Carolina as well 
as other parts, New Jersey and some in Maryland and some other parts 
that need the help of the Congress. Again, it is their money. It is not 
our money. It is the people's money, the people that pay the taxes.
  One thing that comes to mind that I hear quite frequently in my 
district, I do not vote for foreign aid. I have been here 5 years and I 
have yet to vote for foreign aid and I do not intend to vote for 
foreign aid until I see it down in single digits, $6, $7 billion 
instead of $12 or $14 billion. We passed a bill that was $12.7 billion 
in foreign aid and the President wants $4 billion more. Again, I voted 
against that because I thought the $12.7 billion was too much money.
  Another problem that we are having is that people read recently where 
the President of the United States said, well, we ought to forgive 36 
countries that owe the United States of America, they do not owe the 
United States of America, they owe the people that make up the United 
States of America, $5 billion. So the people in eastern North Carolina 
want to know if we can forgive a debt of $5 million, why can we not get 
a couple of billion out of the Congress to help them as they try to 
recover from this devastation?
  Again, I have to answer these questions back home, so I am bringing 
it to the floor of the House. This summer, the United States sent 
$500,000 in flood relief to aid China. Every time I have been on the 
floor of the House and had a chance to vote, I am opposed to MFN for 
China. So, Mr. Speaker, it is important that we forget the politics and 
we talk about coming together and passing legislation that will help 
the people of eastern North Carolina.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Fowler) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 
349.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________