Drought Relief

Floor Speech

DROUGHT RELIEF -- (Senate - August 06, 2009)

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, today I speak on behalf of the farmers and ranchers of Texas. Like millions of Americans in other States, Texans love the land. From the hill country to the river valleys--from the panhandle to the gulf coast--our land helps define who we are.

And for many Texans, the land is their livelihood. One in seven jobs in our State is tied to agriculture. We lead the Nation in several crop and livestock industries--including the production of cattle and cotton. Texas farmers and ranchers help feed and clothe Americans in every State--and in dozens of countries around the world.

Our farmers and ranchers are tough people--and they are seeing tough times. Central and south Texas is experiencing some of the driest conditions in the country today. Seventy counties in our State are experiencing extreme or exceptional drought--the two worst classifications made by the USDA. These areas represent 42.5 million acres--about 25 percent of Texas--and nearly equal to the total land area of New England.

The drought has severely impacted Texas farmers and ranchers. According to one recent study, economic losses will reach $3.6 billion by the end of this year--a little less than $1 billion in livestock losses--and the rest in crop losses.

A few weeks ago, I met with some ranchers and farmers in San Angelo, TX. They shared with me how drought conditions were devastating production--even as the recession weakened demand. They also asked me a question: Where was the money Washington promised to help them through these tough times?

Their question is the same question I am asking today: Where is the money Congress authorized last year for the Supplemental Revenue Assurance Program?

The SURE Program was included in the farm bill we passed in June of 2008. It received broad bipartisan support. It created a trust fund of about $3 billion a year to help farmers and ranchers during tough times.

Yet despite becoming law more than a year ago, the SURE Program has still not been implemented by the USDA. Not a single farmer or rancher has received any assistance from the trust fund so far. No payments had even been planned before December of this year--as it is the lowest of five priorities within USDA's disaster assistance program.

On July 16, I wrote Secretary Vilsack. I asked him to tell me when our farmers and ranchers can expect to receive the assistance Congress authorized for them. I also cosponsored Senator Hutchison's amendment to the Agriculture appropriations bill, which expresses the sense of the Senate that USDA should expedite the drought relief we approved last year.

This week, I spoke to Secretary Vilsack as he was traveling in Kenya. He told me that the SURE Program should be finalized by September, which is encouraging news. He also said that the Department's antiquated record-keeping, as well as new demands imposed on USDA in the stimulus bill, have prevented this program from being finalized sooner.

Nevertheless, Mr. President, I am frustrated that we are discussing more money for cash for clunkers--when we should be asking: Where's the cash for crops? Where's the relief for ranchers?

Other Senators may be asking a third question: Why should I care? I can think of two reasons.

First, Texas isn't the only State susceptible to drought conditions. The Lone Star State is experiencing the worst of it now, but many other States in the South and West could experience similar conditions in the future. The SURE Program was created for farmers and ranchers in all of our States--so we all have a stake in seeing this program implemented quickly and successfully.

Second, the implementation challenges of this program should be on our minds as we consider expanding or creating new programs. Mr. President, the SURE Program isn't a complicated program. It is a fairly straightforward disaster assistance initiative. This shouldn't be a heavy lift for the Federal bureaucracy.

Yet if a simple program like this takes a year or more to get off the ground--Senators really should pause and take a deep breath before we create a vast new Federal bureaucracy to run a complicated cap-and-trade scheme, take control over one-sixth of our economy in the name of health care reform, or dump more taxpayers' dollars into the Cash for Clunkers Program.

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