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“FEDERAL DROUGHT ASSISTANCE IN THE SOUTHWEST” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S7279-S7280 on June 28, 1996.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
FEDERAL DROUGHT ASSISTANCE IN THE SOUTHWEST
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I wish to bring a very serious matter to the attention of my colleagues.
As has been reported by several Senators, there is a serious drought underway in the Southwest, and I believe my State of New Mexico is probably the most seriously affected because it is suffering a very severe drought, almost in its entirety.
As my colleague from New Mexico, Senator Bingaman, has stated on at least two occasions on the Senate floor in the last month, livestock producers are among the most devastated by these drought conditions. Today, I would like to inform the Senate of the current status of one of the relief options that several of us have been pursuing: the Emergency Feed Grain Reserve.
It involves a small portion of grain reserves held by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, known as the Emergency Feed Grain Reserve. Under this program, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to purchase and store up to 75 million bushels of grains to be held in reserve for emergency or disaster situations.
Currently, the Department reports that there are about 45 million bushels of grain stored under this program. In the event of an emergency, the Secretary of Agriculture has a great deal of flexibility in how these reserve grains are to be used.
On June 5, the Senate passed a concurrent resolution, Senate Concurrent Resolution 63, which called on the Secretary of Agriculture to release all grains held in the emergency reserve to provide relief for livestock producers whose livelihoods are threatened by this natural disaster. In fact, the distinguished Senator from Kansas, Mrs. Kassebaum, who just spoke, was the lead Senator on that concurrent resolution.
There has been no response.
Again, on June 12, the Senate called on the Secretary to act under the authority of this program by passing two resolutions, Senate Resolution 259 and Senate Resolution 260. These two resolutions called on the Secretary to use the most efficient methods of providing relief under this program, including cash payments generated by receipts from the sale of reserve grains and to give special consideration to those producers who could not receive assistance under any other program.
There was no response.
Let me put the amount of the grain reserve into perspective. As I stated earlier, there are about 45 million bushels of grain in this emergency relief reserve. Reuters news service reported this morning that the average price of corn during the month of June has been slightly more than $4 a bushel, barley was slightly lower, and wheat was considerably higher, at well over $5 a bushel.
Even if the Secretary were to sell the emergency reserve stocks at a discount to provide relief in areas of severe grain shortages, there could easily be generated $100 million to provide relief in those areas where other forms of livestock feed, such as hay, are more needed. This is far greater than the $18 million that Senator Bingaman and I have attempted to provide legislatively through a modest but needed temporary extension of the only relief program for many livestock producers in the Southwest, the Emergency Livestock Feed Program.
Secretary of Agriculture Glickman has a proposal. Earlier this week, I wrote to Secretary Glickman to inquire about the status of various plans or proposals to provide relief for livestock producers in the drought-stricken Southwest.
I also spoke with the Secretary's office by phone and asked what, if anything, else was required for the release of the emergency reserve grains. I was informed that the Agriculture Department had submitted a proposal to the White House some time ago regarding the release of reserve grains for the purpose of this disaster relief but that it had not yet been approved.
I have since been informed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposal was sent to the White House on June 4, 1 day before the Senate called on the Secretary to act. It has been 24 days, Mr. President--it has been 24 days--since Secretary Glickman proposed disaster relief activities to the White House.
There has been no action.
We cannot wait. These ranchers are going broke. When we have an earthquake, we act quickly. This drought is resulting in a gradual elimination of farmers and ranchers who cannot make a living in this drought, which is arguably the worst in 100 years.
When there is a flood, an earthquake, as I indicated, a hurricane, this administration and this Senate prides itself on the responsiveness of its agencies, whether it be FEMA or any other, to the needs of the affected area, and we vote in the Senate for that kind of relief even if it is not our area. We have done that historically, and, God forbid, we stop doing that. It is absolutely our responsibility to help a State with serious problems, and we have that in New Mexico.
The disaster relief that I am addressing today could have begun weeks ago by administrative action, and still there is no response. Farmers and ranchers in my home State of New Mexico and in parts of Arizona, Colorado and Texas, are losing their means of livelihood by having to sell large numbers of their cattle at rock bottom prices to survive. Some have been dealing with these drought conditions for over 3 years, but this year over three-fourths of my State is currently under what is called severe drought, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. I believe it is time for the President and the White House to approve the plan submitted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The time is past. It should be done now.
Since there has been no response to my inquiries other than, ``We are working on it,'' I hope that perhaps what I am saying to the Senate here on the floor will bring some action. It is not as if we are asking for billions of dollars, but it ought to be done. I hope the White House will respond quickly.
If there are other things we must do in Congress, I hope they will tell us. I believe the Senate would respond, if we have to change something legislatively to provide assistance to one group of New Mexicans, or another. We may be here in the next few weeks, asking for some extraordinary help. The drought is causing wells to dry up, and water sources to disappear. We are having to move water around in the State to accommodate the various needs. Clearly we may need some extraordinary relief. Today what we are asking for is simple, it is forthright, and it ought to be done.
I thank the Senate for giving me this time and I yield the floor.
Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be waived.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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