[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9721]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              FARMERS DESPERATELY NEED DISASTER ASSISTANCE

  (Mr. POMEROY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POMEROY. Madam Speaker, rural America is anxiously awaiting the 
deliberations taking place regarding the relief for those who 
experienced 2005 crop failure. Farmers across the country have just 
completed the most expensive spring planting in the history of U.S. 
agriculture, and for those carrying the debt from last year due to 
disaster losses in reaping their crop, it has pushed them to the brink 
of bankruptcy.
  The Senate has committed on a bipartisan basis meaningful disaster 
assistance, when the House Appropriations Committee voted it down on a 
party line vote with Republicans opposing. Now in conference committee, 
we have learned that House Republicans are doing their dead level best 
to strip this assistance our farmers need so badly out of the 
legislation.
  Farmers of this country need to know if disaster assistance efforts 
fall short, it was the majority, the House Republicans, that stood in 
the way and prevented us from getting the disaster assistance they so 
desperately need.

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