[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 7307-7310]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             AGRICULTURE REFORM, FOOD, AND JOBS ACT OF 2013

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
resume consideration of S. 954, which the clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 954) to reauthorize agricultural programs 
     through 2018.

  Pending:

       Stabenow (for Cantwell) amendment No. 919, to allow Indian 
     tribes to participate in certain soil and water conservation 
     programs.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
  Ms. STABENOW. We are now going to resume discussion on the farm bill, 
but before doing that I see one of the distinguished members of our 
committee on the floor who I know would like to make some other 
comments. But I just wish to thank her in advance for her leadership. 
We are so excited and pleased to have the Senator from North Dakota on 
the Agriculture Committee.
  Having had a chance to be in North Dakota--and she has said it to me 
a thousand times, so it is burned into my memory--90 percent of the 
land in North Dakota is in agriculture, and so she reminds me of that 
every day. She has been a key person in helping us bring this farm bill 
to the floor. So before proceeding on the Agriculture Reform, Food and 
Jobs Act, I would ask that Senator Heitkamp be recognized.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.


                       Tribute to Brad Hejtmanek

  Ms. HEITKAMP. Mr. President, on the floor of the Senate Senators 
often come to praise a local university football team that just won a 
championship or a famous coach who is retiring or maybe even a famous 
politician who has passed away. Today I come to the floor of the Senate 
to thank a man who will never be written about in the history books or 
even known outside of my small hometown of Mantador, ND. Brad 
Hejtmanek's life and his accomplishments were pretty modest by national 
standards, but nevertheless, for the people of my small hometown, Brad 
was something special.
  Brad was a standout high school athlete, a veteran, a softball coach, 
a National Guardsman, a coworker, a husband, a father, a gardener, and 
a friend. For most of his adult life, Brad was the mayor of Mantador--
not exactly the most glamorous of jobs. Mantador runs exclusively on 
volunteer labor.
  For years he made sure the city water and sewer were working, the 
Christmas tree got decorated, that barking dogs were attended to, that 
the garbage got picked up, the roads got fixed, and abandoned lots did 
not get overrun with weeds and junk.
  For years Brad got to do the great ceremonies incumbent of a small-
town mayor. For example, after I was elected attorney general of North 
Dakota, Brad presented me with the key to the city. This was no 
ceremonial key; it was the real deal. I wondered for months after 
getting that key what that key actually opened, until one day I got a 
call from Brad asking me if I could send the key back. You see, the key 
was actually to the town dump and spring cleaning was coming. But that 
was Brad.
  You can't look anywhere in Mantador and not see his impact. One can 
go to the small ballpark and remember that Brad organized the National 
Guard to come and clean out the old grove of trees, look to the large 
VFW and remember that Brad recruited folks to come and help build it, 
look to the fire hall and remember the games of pickup baseball we 
played when we were kids, look to the Mantador grade school and 
remember that Brad was the kid who always took the dare, the kid who 
always organized the pickup football games, and that every kid in grade 
school knew the lyrics to the ``Marine Corps Hymn'' because Brad made 
sure at every choir practice we sang it not only once but twice.
  Men and women such as Brad Hejtmanek are the unsung heroes of our 
democracy. They step up and volunteer when their country and their 
community need them. They are friends when a person needs a friend, and 
they never forget where they came from. So even though he will never 
have a chapter in a history book, he will always have a place in the 
hearts of the people of Mantador. In my book that is an honor 
unequalled.
  Thank you, Brad, for all you did for your country and your small 
town. Godspeed, my friend. I and all of Mantador will miss you.
  I ask unanimous consent to have his obituary printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:


                          Bradley C. Hejtmanek

       Bradley C. Hejtmanek, 59, of Mantador, ND passed away 
     Thursday, May 16, 2013 at Sanford Health in Fargo, ND, 
     surrounded by his family and friends. Funeral mass will be 
     Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. at Sts. Peter & Paul 
     Catholic Church in Mantador, ND with Fr. Peter Anderl 
     officiating and burial in Calvary Cemetery, Mantador with 
     military honors by the Hankinson American Legion Post #88 and 
     the Mantador VFW Post #9317 and the North Dakota National 
     Guard. Visitation will be Monday from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 
     with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. all at the church, and 
     Tuesday morning one hour prior to the service at the church.
       Brad was born on April 14, 1954 in Breckenridge, MN, the 
     son of Joseph & Marcella (Havlena) Hejtmanek. He attended 
     school in Mantador and graduated from Hankinson in 1972. He 
     earned his associate degree from Chaminade University, 
     Honolulu, Hawaii in 1976.
       Brad was very active in Mantador & the surrounding area. He 
     enjoyed all sports, especially the Twins, Vikings, Wild & UND 
     hockey. He enjoyed time spent with family & friends, reading, 
     t.v. & of course, popcorn.
       He is survived by his wife, Karen, 2 sons, Doug (Chaska 
     Guemmer) & Jason (Bri Huotari), granddaughter, Aubrey, 2 
     brothers, Richard (Ann), Jay (Denise), a sister, Joy (Mike) 
     Schreder, several nieces & nephews, father-in-law, George 
     Thompson, 2 brothers-in-law, Terry (Kathy) Thompson & Brian 
     Thompson.
       He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Douglas, 
     nephew, Joseph & mother-in-law, Janice Thompson.
       Frank Family Funeral Home, Hankinson, ND is in charge of 
     the arrangements.

[[Page 7308]]

       In-line guestbook: www.frankfamily
     funeralhome.com

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.


                      Order for Moment of Silence

  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, first, I would I ask unanimous consent 
that at 12 noon today the Senate observe a moment of silence for the 
victims of the tornado in Oklahoma.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, we know we have other colleagues who 
will be coming to the floor to talk about the very important jobs bill, 
reform bill, and food bill we have in front of us--a conservation bill 
as well--but I just wish to take a moment to say to our colleagues, if 
there are amendments they have, as we are moving through the bill--and 
we are doing our best to finish this by the end of the week or 
certainly get as close as we can--we are very interested in working 
with colleagues to get to their amendments. We would appreciate it if 
they would let us know what they are and bring them down so we can be 
working with them on any of their amendments.
  We are very proud of the product we have in front of the Senate right 
now. There are 16 million people who work in agriculture. I would say 
that is a jobs bill. I think it is probably the biggest jobs bill we 
will have in front of the Senate--agricultural jobs directly with those 
who are producing the food, who are producing the equipment for our 
food, and who are doing all the pieces around food production and 
processing and the efforts in trade around the globe, where we are 
proud to say agriculture is No. 1 in creating a trade surplus for our 
country. Other countries are looking to us. There are 7 billion mouths 
to feed in the world today, and American agriculture is at the front of 
the line feeding families and supporting efforts around the globe. We 
know that number is growing every day and the leadership of American 
agriculture is going to be even more important in that process.
  We also know this is a bill that conserves our land, our water, our 
air, and our forests. This is the piece of legislation that focuses on 
conservation for working lands--lands that are owned by someone in this 
country, which is the majority of land, and there are incredibly 
important partnership efforts that go on. The farm bill improves 1.9 
million acres of fish and wildlife habitat. That is why our 
conservation title is supported by over 650 conservation and 
environmental groups all across the country.
  We have the same conservation title we had last year, and I am very 
pleased to say the House also has adopted the structure of reform we 
have in our bill. It is very similar in the House and Senate bills on 
conservation, and so this is a real landmark piece of legislation as it 
relates to preserving our soil, our land, our water, our air, and our 
forests, and it is a commitment we make as Americans to future 
generations.
  We have also added in this legislation a commitment brought to us by 
the commodity farm groups and environmental and conservation groups to 
make sure, when farmers are using critically needed tools such as crop 
insurance--which is the mainstay for farmers now, buying crop insurance 
and hoping, in fact, they do not have to get a payout because it means 
they have had a loss or a disaster; that it is now the foundation of 
what we are doing to support farmers across the country--they have 
agreed to tie compliance for conservation practices to crop insurance, 
which is a very important policy. This is a historic agreement between 
agricultural groups and conservation and environmental groups. As a 
result of their agreement and their urging, we have added that to this 
bill, which is a very significant addition and strengthens what we are 
already doing on conservation.
  We make a strong nutrition commitment to families. We make sure every 
family who currently qualifies for nutrition assistance in our country 
continues to receive that assistance. We create savings by looking at 
areas where there has been abuse or misuse by a few States on one 
policy and by individuals or retailers in other areas and we tighten 
that up so we have more integrity in the process. We make it clear we 
stand with families who need help; we stand with families who find 
their own personal disaster because of the economy, just as we stand 
with farmers for a strong crop insurance program when a farmer has a 
disaster as well, but we do make sure there is integrity in the 
programs, which is very important.
  We have had at least two cases in Michigan where two people won the 
lottery and continued on food assistance--pretty outrageous. And we 
make sure that cannot happen again. There have been abuses in other 
areas, where retailers have allowed people to turn in their food 
assistance cards for money for drugs or other illegal activities, and 
we make sure we clamp down on that. We have gone through the bill and 
we address misuse, waste, fraud, and abuse in every part of the farm 
programs but certainly in this area as well. So we can stand before our 
colleagues and say this is about making sure folks who have worked all 
their lives, who have paid taxes all their lives, who suddenly find 
themselves, through no fault of their own, in a situation where they 
need some temporary food help are able to get that help for their 
family.
  The good news is those dollars--that part of the farm bill--are 
actually decreasing. The costs are going down and not because we are 
cutting back on support for families but because the economy is 
improving, so more people are going back to work and don't need the 
temporary help. That is the way we should be reducing the costs, and 
that is in fact what we do.
  I am also very pleased with the fact we focus on rural development 
and reforms that are very significant and very important. Right now, 
there are actually 11 different definitions of the term ``rural.'' We 
had local mayors and county supervisors and village residents come to 
us and say: We appreciate the fact that rural development funds allow 
us to provide financing for our businesses and water and sewer projects 
and housing projects and road projects, but could you just give us one 
definition, rather than trying to figure out 11 different ways to 
define rural. It may sound simple, but it wasn't simple. But we did 
actually get it down to one definition, and we have streamlined the 
process and the paperwork so communities, small towns, and folks who 
support and need rural economic development help can get that with a 
minimal amount of paperwork.
  We have done that through this entire bill. Frankly, I truly believe 
that if, in every part of government, we did what we have done in 
agricultural programs, we would not only be doing what the public wants 
but we would balance the budget. We have 100 different programs or 
authorizations we have eliminated because they didn't make sense 
anymore. They were duplicative, not wise spending for taxpayers--things 
such as direct subsidy payments for farmers that did not make sense, 
cutting from 23 conservation programs to 13 and putting them in 4 
different subject areas with a lot of flexibility so we can stretch it 
out and get more bang for our buck and do a better job without in any 
way reducing the commitment to conservation.
  We have gone through the entire farm bill and made tough decisions, 
smart decisions. We have saved about $24 billion--more than even we did 
last year--while having a set of policies that is broadly supported in 
the conservation community and the agricultural community and the 
energy community and those who represent small towns across this 
country. We did it, again, by making tough decisions and by working 
together on a bipartisan basis.
  I am proud that even though these arbitrary, across-the-board cuts 
called sequester, cuts that make no sense--even though those cuts would 
require $6 billion in cuts in agricultural programs, we have been 
willing, voluntarily, to come up with four times that level of cuts. We 
ask for your support for a set of policies that works better, that 
streamlines the system, that cuts back on that which does not make 
sense to do but strengthens the priorities that are important for 
economic

[[Page 7309]]

growth, for families, for conservation, for communities all across this 
country.
  We are willing and have done our part to step up and meet the 
challenges of deficit reduction, of balancing our Federal budget, but 
keeping our commitment to our farmers and ranchers who have the most 
risky jobs in the world. As I said yesterday, nobody else has to worry 
about whether it is going to rain or not rain--too much rain, no rain; 
whether it is going to freeze, as it did in northern Michigan after the 
cherry blossoms came on the trees and the freeze wiped everything out.
  Nobody else is in a business where they cannot control the most 
important factor, which is the weather. We have certainly seen the 
havoc the weather has played on families across this country, including 
what happened yesterday in Oklahoma.
  We stand here proudly to say we support an effort that is creating 
reform, that is saving money, that is standing up for the folks who 
have helped create the most affordable and safest food supply in the 
world--America's farmers and ranchers. We stand here supporting 
American families who need to make sure that when times are tough the 
very best of America's values are in place, which is to make sure they 
have the ability to put food on the table for their families.
  I believe we have others who will be coming to the floor. At the 
moment I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Heitkamp). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Ms. STABENOW. I ask unanimous consent that following a moment of 
silence at noon today, the Senate proceed to a vote in relation to 
Cantwell amendment No. 919; that upon disposition of the Cantwell 
amendment, Senator Gillibrand be recognized.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is 
so ordered.
  Ms. STABENOW. We are also working on a Sessions amendment No. 945, 
which we had hoped to line up as well. I understand there is an 
additional modification being made. If that modification is agreeable 
to both sides, it is our intention to adopt that amendment, as 
modified, prior to the caucus meetings.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                           Moment of Silence

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be a 
moment of silence for the victims of the tornadoes in Oklahoma.
  (Moment of silence.)


                           Amendment No. 919

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the question is on 
agreeing to amendment No. 919, offered by the Senator from Washington, 
Ms. Cantwell.
  The Senator from Michigan.
  Ms. STABENOW. Let me indicate that this amendment would require 
tribes to be included in the development of Resource Conservation Act 
appraisals. It is something that is supported by Senator Cochran and 
me.
  I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second. There is a sufficient 
second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Mexico (Mr. 
Heinrich) and the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) are 
necessarily absent.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. 
Inhofe), and the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 87, nays 8, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 129 Leg.]

                                YEAS--87

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Baucus
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Boxer
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Cochran
     Collins
     Coons
     Corker
     Cowan
     Crapo
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Flake
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (SD)
     Kaine
     King
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Levin
     Manchin
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Portman
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Thune
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden

                                NAYS--8

     Cornyn
     Cruz
     Johnson (WI)
     Kirk
     Lee
     Paul
     Rubio
     Toomey

                             NOT VOTING--5

     Coburn
     Heinrich
     Inhofe
     Lautenberg
     Vitter
  The amendment (No. 919) was agreed to.
  Ms. STABENOW. I move to reconsider the vote and to lay that motion 
upon the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.


                           Amendment No. 931

  Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Madam President, I call up my amendment No. 931 for 
a vote at a time to be determined by the manager of the bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendment.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from New York [Mrs. Gillibrand], for herself, 
     Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Cowan, Mr. Reed, Mr. 
     Blumenthal, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Casey, Mr. King, Mr. Schumer, Ms. 
     Warren, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Sanders, Ms. Baldwin, 
     Mr. Murphy, and Mr. Menendez, proposes an amendment numbered 
     931.

  Mrs. GILLIBRAND. I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the 
amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

     (Purpose: To strike a reduction in the supplemental nutrition 
     assistance program, with an offset that limits crop insurance 
                      reimbursements to providers)

       Beginning on page 355, strike line 8 and all that follows 
     through page 357, line 15.
       On page 1065, after line 25, add the following:

     SEC. 11011. ANNUAL LIMITATION ON DELIVERY EXPENSES AND 
                   REDUCED RATE OF RETURN.

       (a) Annual Limitation on Delivery Expenses.--Section 
     508(k)(4) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 
     1508(k)(4)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(G) Annual limitation on delivery expenses.--Beginning 
     with the 2014 reinsurance year, the amount paid by the 
     Corporation to reimburse approved insurance providers and 
     agents for the administrative and operating costs of the 
     approved insurance providers and agents shall not exceed 
     $924,000,000 per year.''.
       (b) Reduced Rate of Return.--Section 508(k)(8) of the 
     Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(k)(8)) (as amended 
     by section 11011) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:
       ``(G) Reduced rate of return.--Beginning with the 2014 
     reinsurance year, the Standard Reinsurance Agreement shall be 
     adjusted to ensure a projected rate of return for the 
     approved insurance producers not to exceed 12 percent, as 
     determined by the Corporation.''.

  Mrs. GILLIBRAND. I yield to the chairman of the committee for other 
business.
  Ms. STABENOW. I thank the Senator.
  Madam President, we have a great start here with our first vote.


                     Amendment No. 945, As Modified

  Ms. STABENOW. Before proceeding with Senator Gillibrand's amendment, 
I ask unanimous consent that the Sessions amendment No. 945, with

[[Page 7310]]

the changes at the desk, as modified, be agreed to.
  The amendment, as modified, was agreed to, as follows:

 (Purpose: To clarify eligibility criteria for agricultural irrigation 
                              assistance)

       On page 263, between lines 20 and 21, insert the following:
       ``(iii) Irrigation.--In States where irrigation has not 
     been used significantly for agricultural purposes, as 
     determined by the Secretary, the Secretary shall not limit 
     eligibility under section 1271B or this section on the basis 
     of prior irrigation history.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.


                           Amendment No. 931

  Mrs. GILLIBRAND. I rise today to urge my colleagues on both sides of 
the aisle to join my effort to fight off the proposed $4 billion worth 
of cuts to SNAP, better known as food stamps.
  I ask that my amendment, No. 931, be called up for a vote at a time 
determined by the manager of the bill.
  When Congress proposes to cut the food stamp program, it is not a 
nameless, faceless person looking for a handout who suffers--it is 
hungry children, hardworking adults, seniors on fixed incomes, 
veterans, active-duty servicemembers fighting our wars, and the 
families who stand by them.
  I heard from a single mom in Queens, working full time at a 
supermarket, doing all she could to make ends meet but still struggles 
in this very tough economy. Her son came home one day from school with 
a bag in his hand and told her he saved his lunch for their dinner, and 
that he asked his best friend if he could have his sandwich to bring 
home for his brother. Obviously that mother broke down in tears. She 
needs food stamp assistance.
  I heard from a senior in Washington Heights in New York City. She 
receives a limited fixed income, not enough to live on. She relies on 
SNAP to pay for food and for some peace of mind. Without that help, 
putting food on the table will become impossible.
  I have heard from veterans all across the country who are making 
their voices heard to prevent these cuts, such as one very brave 
veteran from Colorado Springs. He served in Iraq, but was declared 
medically unfit to continue his service. He was released from the 
military and returned home. As he was looking for a job and waited for 
the VA to activate his benefits, he relied on SNAP to help his family 
make ends meet. Going from active duty to food stamps, he described, 
was a culture shock. It was never his plan to go on food stamps. 
Without that little bit of support, this veteran, his wife, and his 
children would have needlessly suffered. Today he is back on his feet 
working full time, but the program was there for him when he needed it, 
as it should be.
  These are the people who rely on this critically needed assistance to 
put food on the table and who stand to lose if Congress follows through 
with these deep cuts to SNAP. Half of all food stamp recipients are 
children, 8 percent are seniors, and 1.4 million veteran households 
receive food stamps. There are some of you here who would have us 
believe that these children, seniors, and veterans are gaming the 
system just to take advantage of taxpayers. The fact is, it is less 
than 1 percent of every dollar that goes into this program that is 
wasted, less than 1 percent is evidence of fraud. Imagine if we had 
that level of efficiency anywhere else in government.
  In fact, SNAP keeps our economy moving. This money goes straight to 
the grocery stores, the store clerks, the truckers who haul the food, 
and producers all across the country. Sixteen cents of every SNAP 
dollar actually goes right back to the farmer who grew the crop, 
according to the USDA. When we cut $4 billion from SNAP, it means there 
is $90 less a month going to half a million households. To folks in 
this Chamber, $90 a month may not seem like a lot of money, but for a 
struggling family that is a week's worth of groceries. Imagine telling 
your children they can't eat the last week of every month. Imagine 
telling your child at night when he says to you: Mommy, I am still 
hungry, that there is nothing you can do about it.
  As a mother, as a lawmaker, watching a child, a senior, and a brave 
veteran going hungry is something I will not stand for, and neither 
should anyone else in this body. Clearly we have to reduce the debt and 
the deficit, but hardworking parents, their children, seniors, troops, 
and veterans are just trying to keep the lights on, trying to make ends 
meet, trying to put food on the table. They did not spend this Nation 
into debt, and we should not be trying to balance the budget on their 
back. They deserve better from us. These are the wrong priorities for 
America.
  Instead, the amendment I am proposing would reduce a real source of 
waste in this budget, and that is corporate welfare for large 
corporations that do not need it, including insurance companies that 
are based in Bermuda, Australia, and Switzerland.
  My amendment already has the support and advocacy of a third of this 
body. Thirty-three Senators have signed a letter saying do not cut food 
stamps, because it protects half a million struggling Americans who too 
often do not have a voice in Washington when they desperately need it. 
It makes modest cuts to an already overgenerous corporate welfare 
system. It is common sense. Standing by those who are suffering is the 
core. It is a core value of who we are as Americans.
  If it is in your heart, and if you believe feeding hungry children is 
the right thing to do, then stand with us. Stand with America's 
veterans. Stand with the AARP and America's seniors. Stand with 
struggling families and children all across this Nation. Let's keep 
food on the tables of people who need it. When we do, America will be 
stronger, and this body will be stronger.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________