July 28, 1999
HARKIN ON FARM CRISIS:
RURAL AMERICA CANNOT WAIT FOR HEARINGS
Iowa Senator Calls for Immediate
Action on Emergency Farm
Package Action on Package Likely
As Soon As Tuesday
WASHINGTON --- U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA),
the ranking Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, today announced
that he plans to offer his emergency farm assistance amendment next week.
Harkin cited a commitment by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) to
bring the Agriculture Appropriations bill to the Senate floor before the
August recess.
"The gravity of the farm crisis does not allow
the luxury of hearings before passing emergency farm assistance," said
Harkin. "Hearings would be fine as long as they are on how to fix the failed
Freedom to Farm bill, and do not delay emergency assistance. Farmers need
to know without delay that assistance is on the way so they can plan how
to meet their obligations."
Harkin is leading an effort among Senate Democrats
to provide $9.9 billion in emergency assistance to farmers. The package
includes direct income assistance, additional disaster assistance, emergency
conservation assistance, livestock feed assistance, Section 32 funding
for farm assistance and commodity purchases, cotton Step 2 funds, funding
for commodity purchases and humanitarian donations, dairy assistance, funds
for FSA salaries and expenses and farm loans, and rural economic assistance.
"Some have said that there is no farm crisis.
This flies in the face of the real world experience of tens of thousands
of farm families across the nation," said Harkin. "Selectively citing statistics
does not diminish the seriousness of this farm crisis. The real facts show
a profound and deepening farm crisis."
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