For Immediate Release:
Friday, June 2 ,2006

WASHINGTON D.C. - For generations, Oklahomans have relied on the land to make their living.  Our labor of love for the soil is rooted deep in the Oklahoma tradition.  But drive down almost any street of a small rural town in this state and you can see and feel the hurt and difficulties that farmers and ranchers are facing.  

Continuing drought and destructive wildfires have hit Oklahoma hard, rendering the worst conditions since the 1950s.  Though recent rains have provided some relief, we’re not out of the woods yet. 

 

After pressure from the Oklahoma congressional delegation, FEMA is now providing assistance to individuals and businesses that have suffered losses, and USDA is helping farmers and ranchers repair damaged fences, ponds and barns.  But no federal disaster assistance is available for crop or livestock losses because Congress hasn’t appropriated the money.

 

Most members of Congress don’t come from districts or even states where agriculture is a driving force.  Recent national media coverage of the fires in Oklahoma and Texas has helped illustrate how serious the situation is, but with a skyrocketing federal deficit, a war on terror and efforts to rebuild the gulf coast, the federal budget is just getting tighter and tighter. 

 

In February, I joined with 23 other members of Congress from Oklahoma and Texas to request specific funding for agricultural disaster assistance. I remain hopeful that some funding could be provided before the year’s end.  The federal budget is all about balancing priorities. By making cuts elsewhere, I believe we can afford to help agriculture without increasing our national debt.

 

Despite growing support in Congress to help farmers and ranchers, agriculture continues to bear the brunt of federal budget cuts.  Just this year the administration proposed closing the Agricultural Research Service Lab in Lane, Okla.  The center is an industry leader in vine crop research.  Contributing $3 million annually to the surrounding economy, the lab is a vital part of Lane’s rural agricultural community.

 

I have been working in Congress to prevent the closure since it was announced in March.  Just last week I offered an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2007 Agriculture Appropriations Act to keep the lab open.  My amendment, which passed without opposition, would prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture from transferring the facility's $2 million budget and 30 personnel to other facilities.

 

Though the process is not over, this was a significant step toward ensuring the lab’s future.  I will be working every day to ensure Eastern Oklahoma gets its share of federal research dollars for facilities such as Lane to help our farmers meet the challenges they face.

Rural America is suffering severe financial losses as a result of unpredictable weather conditions.  Rather than stepping up to help when it’s needed most, Congress has chosen this time to cut funding for vital agriculture programs.  Our farmers and ranchers provide the safest, most abundant and affordable food supply in the world and now they need our help.  I, for one, am committed to doing whatever I can to help them get it.

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