News From…
Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 21, 2008 |
CONTACT: Jamie McInerney (202) 225-6131 |
| WASHINGTON – Today, the House of Representatives successfully voted to override the President’s veto of the Farm Bill by an overwhelming margin. Congressman Dennis Cardoza, as Chairman of the Horticulture and Organic Agriculture Subcommittee, helped to write the legislation and spoke in support of overriding the veto on the House floor. Below are Congressman Cardoza’s remarks as prepared for delivery.
“M. Speaker. I rise in strong support of overriding the misguided Presidential veto on the Farm, Conservation and Energy Act.
It is extremely unfortunate that we must go through this exercise on legislation that is so critically important to both rural and urban America alike.
The bipartisan Conference Report on the 2008 Farm Bill represents the blood, sweat and tears of many dedicated Members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, including myself.
We have made significant reforms, preserved the safety net for American farmers, dramatically increased domestic nutrition assistance and for the first time in history—given specialty crops a seat at the table. We did all this AND complied with PAY-GO.
This is not a perfect bill. There are some who would have preferred more conservation spending or more reforms.
However, the 2008 Farm Bill is the product of hard work and compromise and should not be discounted simply because we could not meet the unrealistic, impractical and unworkable benchmarks set by this Administration.
I take particularly strong exception to the President’s repeated insistence that this Farm Bill must be vetoed in the name of international trade agreements. Meeting our global trade obligations should NEVER trump critical domestic priorities.
Our farmers have the capacity for immeasurable innovation and success and they deserve the commitment and support of the federal government through the Farm Bill.
The President has let down American agriculture today and that is a shame.
But I am confident that, together with the Senate, we can override this veto today and make good on our promise to American farmers and ranchers.
I strongly urge my colleagues to support the veto override.
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