Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005

AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005 -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 15, 2004)

SPEECH OF
HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.
OF GEORGIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2004

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4766) making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, and for other purposes:

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, today I rise on behalf of the hard-working farm families of Southwest Georgia who have more than earned the economic assistance that a tobacco buy-out would provide.

By introducing this amendment, my colleagues seek to make a statement about the tobacco industry as a whole. In reality they are punishing American farmers who have already suffered the loss of more than fifty percent of their income. A tobacco buyout does not provide an incentive to grow tobacco nor does it get the U.S. Government out of the tobacco growing industry, rather it provides our farmers with an honest chance to survive.

Those of us representing American tobacco growers are in the best position to understand the unique importance of tobacco reform. We have been working on a bipartisan basis for over two years to end the depression-era price support system that, despite severe cuts in quotas and the even greater economic losses of our farm families, has not been touched in nearly 18 years. This amendment obstructs our reform efforts and complicates the chances of any real solution. Our farmers deserve better.

I urge my colleagues not to support this amendment.