For Immediate Release
January 6, 2009

  

     GRASSLEY:  Well, the 111th Congress gets under way today.  That

means members are going to be busy working on an economic stimulus

plan and health care reform, among many other issues.  So on the

agricultural front, what I'm going to be looking at is to continue my

efforts on competition issues, biofuels, for instance, keeping an eye

on the department as they write more rules and regulations to carry

out the 2008 Farm Bill. 

 

     By the way, I had a very good meeting yesterday with Governor

Vilsack, who I believe will be an asset to the department.  We

discussed a lot of issues, but just a few civil rights issues,

actively engaged rules, enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act.

Earlier this year, I'll be introducing several pieces of legislation.

They would do things like address concentration in agriculture.  I'll

be introducing the Agricultural Competition Enhancement Act as well as

legislation to ban packer ownership of livestock and legislation to

require that a certain percentage of packer's daily kill come from the

spot market. 

 

     I share concern that many family farmers and independent

producers have because they believe that the agriculture industry has

consolidated to a point where many small market participants cannot

have equal access to fair and competitive markets.  So that's what's

all that legislation is all about. 

 

     I'm also introducing these bills because it's important that we

keep these issues at the forefront of the agricultural communities.

I'll be outlining further agricultural work I plan on doing in the

upcoming weeks. 

 

     Dan Looker? 

 

     QUESTION:  Good morning.  Happy new year, Senator. 

 

     GRASSLEY:  Happy new year. 

 

     QUESTION:  I wondered if you got any sense from Governor Vilsack

as to whether or not the department will rewrite or reconsider the

actively engaged rules. 

 

     GRASSLEY:  No.  But I can tell you this, that he knew of my

awareness of it.  I think he's been following comments that I've been

making through the press and he seemed to be on top of it.  But I

didn't expect any indication out of him, and I think it would be wrong

for him to say what can be done until the Obama administration is

fully in place sometime after January the 20th because what Governor

Vilsack does, in many respects, will have to comport with -- and I

would expect it would comport with -- what Obama said during the

campaign and what his issue papers have said that he had out for

public discussion during the campaign. 

 

     QUESTION:  OK.  Thank you. 

 

     GRASSLEY:  Tom Rider? 

 

     QUESTION:  Good morning, Senator. 

 

     Senator, I was wondering if Governor Vilsack, in his meeting with

you, gave you any indication about the enforcement of the Packers and

Stockyards Act and if he'd be backing it -- your legislation, if he

would be working to improve that.  Did he give you any indication on

that at all? 

 

 

     GRASSLEY:  No.  No.  And like I said to Dan, I can't expect him

to do much until the administration is fully in place after January

the 20th.  But we did discuss it.  I told him my strong feelings about

the department not enforcing it under several administrations and it

being a very good tool, probably a better tool, for -- a better tool

for farmers and maybe even the anti-trust laws. 

 

     And I would say that he spent most of his time taking notes.  A

couple staff people with him taking notes and listening to my

concerns. 

 

     QUESTION:  And do you expect his confirmation (inaudible)? 

 

     GRASSLEY:  Yes.  I would expect to go through unanimously unless

there's something out there that -- that nobody knows anything about.

And I don't expect that there is. 

 

     QUESTION:  Thank you. 

 

     GRASSLEY:  Gene, Iowa Farmer? 

 

     QUESTION:  Yes, Senator. 

 

     Obviously, you've met with Governor Vilsack.  Have you met also

with the EPA nominee and talked about some of the issues there yet? 

 

     GRASSLEY:  No, we have not.  And probably -- you know, like, I

met with Governor Vilsack because, you know, I have been a member of

the Ag Committee.  I've put in my application to the leader to be

reappointed and, hopefully, I will be. 

 

     But I'm not on the committees that deal directly with the

environment, and so I don't suppose in this sense of my having a pre-

confirmation meeting with them that that would come off. 

 

     Tom Brownfield?

 

     QUESTION:  My question has been answered. 

 

     GRASSLEY:  Bob Quinn of WHO?

 

     Chris Clayton?

 

     QUESTION:  Senator, have you talked with Finance Chairman Baucus

about some of the -- what you're looking at for the tax provisions in

the stimulus package?  And are there any particular tax provisions

that would, you know, either affect agriculture or business people --

small business people directly? 

 

     GRASSLEY:  Yes.  The meeting is at five this afternoon, so I

can't answer your question in regard to a conversation with Baucus.

But I can tell you what I would expect that there would be bipartisan

agreement to extending and maybe increasing Section 179 expensing,

some extending from two to five years loss carry back. 

 

     I would expect in the energy issues that are unrelated to this --

might be unrelated just to small business, but extension of a lot of

alternative energy tax incentives that are out there. 

 

     QUESTION:  For -- one more thing.  For individuals, you know,

because they talk about this as a stimulus package, are they looking

at making these tax cuts retroactive to 2008? 

 

     GRASSLEY:  No.  Well, now listen.  I presume that it could be,

but I don't know for sure.  And the reason why I say it could be, as

long as people are just now beginning to file their taxes, if we got

it done soon enough, it's possible it could be activated against

taxes. 

 

     But this is -- these would be handled in a way -- well, for

instance, on the expensing 179, we've just changed the sunset date.

And so that's gone through 2008.  So that would be an example of

something that wouldn't have to go back anyway. 

 

     QUESTION:  OK.  Thank you. 

 

     GRASSLEY:  You bet. 

 

     OK.  Philip Brasher?

 

     OK.  I've gone through the entire list that I think is on the

telephone tree.  Anybody else want to jump in?  Any follow-ups? 

 

     OK.  Thank you all very much.