Durbin Meets with Illinois Agriculture Leaders; Warns That Bush Budget Could Hurt Midwestern Farmers

DURBIN MEETS WITH ILLINOIS AGRICULTURE LEADERS; WARNS THAT BUSH BUDGET COULD HURT MIDWESTERN FARMERS

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with members of the Illinois Agricultural Legislative Roundtable to discuss federal issues important to Illinois farmers and the state's economy. Representatives from the Illinois Farm Bureau, University of Illinois, Illinois Corn Growers and the Illinois Soybean Association participated in the roundtable along with leaders from other state farm organizations and commodity groups.

"More than 76,000 farm families in Illinois produce crops and livestock that feed families all over the world," said Durbin. "Our state's farmland is some of the most productive on the planet, and federal agriculture policy is vitally important to Illinoisans. That's why I am troubled by the President's budget proposal for the Department of Agriculture for the next fiscal year."

After yesterday's meeting, Durbin wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns expressing his concerns about the President's agriculture budget.

"The large budget reduction at the Department of agriculture calls for a nearly ten percent cut in discretionary spending in 2006 alone," Durbin wrote. "The President's budget threatens conservation, rural development, research and farm programs. I am troubled that the budget would enforce a shift in the cost of crop insurance payments to farmers."

"This budget puts farm families and rural Americans at risk," wrote Durbin

Durbin has pledged to work with farm groups, policymakers and the Bush Administration to ensure that farmers and those who depend on the agricultural economy are not adversely affected by these deep budget cuts.

http://durbin.senate.gov/releases.cfm