FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Jeff Navin, 202-225-2801

REP. STEPHANIE HERSETH SUPPORTS DROUGHT RELIEF; DEMANDS EQUAL TREATMENT FOR FARM COUNTRY

Opposes Efforts to Cannibalize Existing Farm Programs As Part of Disaster Assistance
October 7, 2004, Washington, D.C. – Late last night, Rep. Stephanie Herseth opposed efforts to fund disaster assistance for farmers and ranchers by cutting into existing farm bill programs, but ultimately voted for legislation containing a drought relief compromise.  Rep. Herseth voted against an amendment proposed by Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) to emergency spending bill H.R. 5212, which will provide assistance to those impacted by hurricanes earlier this year.  Herseth is a cosponsor of alternative legislation offered by Rep. Charlie Stenholm (D-TX) that would treat all weather-related disasters equally.

In comments on the House floor, Herseth said that the compromise, “sets a terrible precedent.  It could usher in a new era where Congress helps suffering farmers by raiding farm programs.  This makes no sense and we should not start down that road.  The Neugebauer Amendment would rob Peter to pay Paul, and I oppose it.”

Herseth noted that Stenholm’s alternative amendment, H.R. 5203, enjoyed strong bipartisan support, including South Dakota’s neighbors Rep. Osborne (R-NE), Rep. Peterson (D-MN), Rep. Pomeroy (D-ND), Rep. Boswell (D-IA), Rep. Cubin (R-WY) and Rep. Rehberg (R-MT).
Herseth stressed that she strongly supports assistance for those victims of a string of terrible hurricanes.  However, she pointed out that “droughts are catastrophic weather events as well.  The only difference being they are not as visually striking.  They ease in gradually over a course of weeks and months and even years.  They don’t have names.  They don’t rip the roofs off of buildings.  They don’t make good TV.  None of the major news networks send reporters to Faith, South Dakota, to cover the ongoing drought.  But that doesn’t make them any less devastating, both financially and emotionally, for the people that are affected.”

Efforts by farm state legislators to treat drought relief like other weather related disasters ultimately failed in the House, but the bill, as passed, did contain $3 billion in drought assistance to be offset by cutting funds for other programs administered by the USDA.  The Senate version of the bill contains no such offset.  The bill passed the House of Representatives unanimously. 

Herseth supported final passage of the bill, but noted that she hoped the version negotiated by the House and Senate conference committee would contain the Senate version of drought assistance.  “There is no question that this assistance is needed in South Dakota, but I hope the conferees will reject this idea of treating farm country disasters differently than they treat disasters on the east and west coasts,” Herseth noted.

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