    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [April 30, 1996]
    [Page 671]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to a Meeting on Assistance for Cattle Producers and an
    Exchange With Reporters
    April 30, 1996

        The President. Ladies and gentlemen, first let me--I want to thank
    this bipartisan congressional delegation from cattle-producing States
    for coming in. Cattle producers, by numbers, represent the largest
    single segment of America's agricultural economy. Cattle prices are at a
    10-year low, and feed prices are at--are or have been recently at an
    all-time high. And we want to discuss some potential recommendations for
    action the Secretary of Agriculture might take, using traditional means
    at his disposal to help to deal with this situation and help these
    producers through this difficult time.
        I want to thank the Members of Congress who requested this meeting
    and who brought this matter to our attention, and I'm looking forward to
    the meeting.
        Q. How much traditional beef are you going to buy, Mr. President?
        The President. The Secretary of Agriculture will have an
    announcement later, once we have time to talk through our options here.
        Q. Can you act quickly?
        Q. Will you call up the conservation reserve for more grazing
    nationwide?
        The President. Well, we will issue an announcement after the
    meeting; the Secretary of Agriculture will.
        Yes, we're going to act quickly. We won't fool around with it.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:43 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
    House, prior to a meeting with congressional leaders. A tape was not
    available for verification of the content of these remarks.