Glickman Says $2 Billion-Plus Needed for Disaster Aid

September 28, 2000

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman told the House Agriculture Committee Wednesday another $2 billion-plus will be needed in disaster aid this year over and above the $2.4 billion paid out in crop insurance indemnities. He said $1.4 billion is needed to cover crop losses and another $800 million is needed for livestock assistance.

"Ensuring that farmers are protected from external factors is not simply a matter of public interest, but of national security, because food is our most basic necessity," Glickman said. "In the past, the Administration and Congress have come to their aid with emergency assistance, and we'll do so again this year."

The public has an "abiding interest in not only helping our farmers but doing so in an efficient and cost effective manner," he added. The crop insurance program "is neither wholly private nor wholly public."

Benefits of a government-run program include uniform standards, wider distribution and oversight of taxpayer dollars, while a privately delivered program offers faster, more diverse and personalized service to farmers, said Glickman. Still, he said, he has "some serious concerns about how to maintain clear lines of authority and accountability in such an integrated system, and I believe that Congress and future Secretaries will need to continually address this issue."