12/22/05 Chambliss complains about ag cuts

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Saxby Chambliss is protesting the ag provisions in the budget cutting bill. 2.7 billion dollars will be cut over the next five years but food stamps and across the board reductions in farm programs were not part of the package approved by conferees in the House and Senate. Chambliss says House leaders could have gone along with proposed Senate cuts but instead they chose their own route. CHAMBLISS "All of the reductions should basically come out of conservation and a few other grant programs that we have in rural development. I just think that was wrong." Chambliss says critics of commodity programs will have a field day with this budget compromise when the debate begins on the 2007 Farm Bill. CHAMBLISS "Saying that the commodity farmers around the country who get these payments from the government really escaped any reduction and its not fair criticism." In its budget reconciliation package the Senate included money to help farmers hit by drought or by too much rain. CHAMBLISS "And we had made a commitment to those folks that we were going to provide some assistance to them and we did in our package but again the House would not agree to it." The conferees also refused to go along with the Senate's wish to extend key titles from the 2002 farm bill. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott