[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 21 (Monday, May 31, 1999)]
[Pages 962-963]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Radio Remarks on Agriculture Provisions in the 1999 Emergency 
Supplemental Appropriations Act

May 21, 1999

    We are living through the longest peacetime expansion in our 
Nation's history, the strongest economy in a generation, the lowest 
unemployment in nearly 30 years, over 18 million new jobs since 1993.
    Our farmers and ranchers helped to create this new prosperity, 
giving us good, inexpensive food at home and exporting a lot abroad. 
Unfortunately, today, too many of them are not reaping the benefits of 
the prosperity they helped to create. In fact, many of our farmers and 
ranchers are in the grip of the

[[Page 963]]

worst crisis in over a decade. We have to do more to help them.

    Three months ago I called on Congress to give farmers the loan 
assistance they needed to start the spring planting. Congress didn't act 
then, and every day they waited brought more farms closer to 
foreclosure.

    So in March our administration took extraordinary action to make 
$300 million in loans available to America's farming families now, 
instead of at the end of the year when they normally would have come up. 
Congress, Friday, acted to provide funds for those loans and more. On 
Friday I signed an emergency appropriations bill that will restore the 
$300 million to the loan program to help our farmers, ranchers, and 
rural communities.

    But with thousands of them still in danger of failing, we must 
continue our efforts. My balanced budget for next year includes 
additional help for agriculture. Unfortunately, next week the House of 
Representatives will vote on a bill that would gut some of those 
commitments and the Senate is considering even deeper cuts. Our farmers 
and ranchers feed us. They've helped us to get this prosperity we're 
enjoying. Now they're in need and we should help them.

    After passing a bill that will do so much good, it would be a real 
shame and a bad mistake for Congress to reverse course and cut back on 
our commitment to America's farming and ranching families. I'm committed 
to working with Congress to give them the support they need.

Note: The President's remarks were recorded at approximately 1:30 p.m. 
on May 21 in the Oval Office at the White House for later broadcast. 
These remarks were also made available on the White House Press Office 
Radio Actuality Line. This item was not received in time for publication 
in the appropriate issue.