Allen Boyd

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, I think the important point is that any prudent business person would establish what the spending levels are first before they begin to implement any part of the budget. I think that is what the gentleman is recommending. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner), another leader in the Blue Dogs. He came in the same year as I did, after the 1996 election, and he has been a leader on these budget issues.

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner), my friend, one of the leaders of the Blue Dogs, for his fine leadership on these issues. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson), one of our new Members.

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson) for coming. He is obviously going to be a very productive and bright Member of this Congress as we move through these critical times for this Nation. Next, Mr. Speaker, I want to call on the gentleman from Mississippi who has been a leader on military views, particularly issues which relate to the welfare of our troops, all of our military men and women around the world; and obviously our national defense is maybe the most important role of this Federal Government. The gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) is going to spend some time now talking about the budget, and I am honored to yield to the gentleman from Mississippi.

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Mississippi. You can see that he does his home work. He understands these issues very well, and he has certainly been a leader on the military and budget side as it relates to the Federal debt. At this time I would like to call on my friend the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hill) who is a wonderful new member of the Blue Dogs, actually moved out of the blue puppy category into a sophomore.

Mr. BOYD. I yield to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee).

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas and, in summary, I want to read from the CBO's report that just came out, the summary. It will just take a few seconds here. The summary starts out this way, Mr. Speaker, and I quote: ``In the absence of significant legislative changes and assuming that the economy follows the path described in this report, the CBO projects that the total surplus will reach $281 billion in 2001. Such surpluses are projected to rise in the future approaching $889 billion in 2011 and accumulating to a $5.6 trillion figure.'' We know over half of that is Social Security. Here is an interesting sentence, Mr. Speaker: ``That total is about $1 trillion higher than the cumulative surplus projected for the 10-year period in CBO's 2000 report, July 2000.'' In 6 months, Mr. Speaker, the projected surplus changed by CBO's own estimates over $1 trillion. And I want to read one more sentence that goes on later in the summary report, Mr. Speaker, and this really should give pause to many of our American citizens: ``Over the long-term, however, budgetary pressures linked to the aging and retirement of the baby boom generation threaten to produce record deficits and unsustainable levels of Federal debt.'' Mr. Speaker, I want to say that again. ``Budgetary pressures linked to the aging and retirement of the baby boom generation threaten to produce record deficits and unsustainable levels of Federal debt.'' I am reading directly from the summary of the CBO report which came out last month. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the indulgence of the House and for the Speaker's courtesy today, as well as my colleagues who came and assisted today.

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to the brave men who flew the EC-121 Lockheed Super Constellation from Otis Air Force Base (AFB), Massachusetts, in the 1950's and 1960's. The 19 member crews of these aircraft flew countless radar surveillance missions to provide early warning radar coverage for the United States during the height of the Cold War and were a first line of defense against a surprise attack. In particular, I want to pay tribute to the fifty officers and airmen who died when three EC-121's crashed in the North Atlantic. Otis AFB, located on Cape Cod, was the only Air Defense Command base with units performing three of the Air Defense Command's prime missions: radar picket plane surveillance, fighter-interception, and ground-to-air missile operations. With the completion of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line in 1958, the northern areas of the United States and Canada were still vulnerable. Consequently, the radar warning networks were extended seaward at Otis AFB on the east by using the 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Wing. This wing supplemented the radar protection along the East Coast of the United States. The 551st Wing at Otis was the only Air Force organization flying the EC-121H ``Warning Star'' Super Constellation known as Airborne Long Range Input (ALRI) aircraft. Those aircraft carried more than six tons of complex radar and computer communications equipment on each flight and provided instantaneous automated relay of air defense surveillance and early warning information by data-link direct to ground based communications facilities. This information was then passed to high speed Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Air Defense Command and Control computers in the East Coast SAGE Direction Centers and to the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) Combat Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for air defense evaluation and action. It is interesting to note, especially for the younger generation, that the 551st Wing flew their continuous missions over the Atlantic Ocean 24 hours a day. On March 2, 1965, the 551st AEW&C Wing celebrated its 10th anniversary. It was noted that the 551st Wing had progressed through many changes--some involving electronic equipment and other gear. Still the mission continued to be an effective--although more sophisticated-- form of radar surveillance against the enemy. During that decade, the aircraft of the 551st Wing had accumulated more than 350,000 hours of early warning radar surveillance missions over the North Atlantic without an accident involving personal injury or a fatality. However, the fatality-free decade celebration didn't last long. The ten-year celebration hardly had ended when on July 11, 1965, one of the Super Constellations, the Air Force model EC-121H radar aircraft, developed a fire in the number three engine. The decision was made to try ditching the plane approximately 100 miles from Nantucket, Massachusetts, in the North Atlantic. Unfortunately, touchdown in the night-time On Veterans Day 1966 (November 11th) another EC-121H crashed in approximately the same general area as the first one, by unexplained circumstances. This accident was about 125 miles east of Nantucket. All 19 crew members were killed and their bodies were never recovered. On April 25, 1967, another EC-121H ditched in the North Atlantic approximately one mile off of Nantucket just after having taken off from Otis AFB. There was one survivor, and 15 crew members were lost. Only two bodies were reported by the Air Force as having been recovered. Colonel James P. Lyle, the Commander of the 551st AEW&C Wing to which all the aircraft and crew members were assigned, was piloting this plane when it crashed. Colonel Lyle had been assigned to take over that command nine months earlier. It is sobering to note that it was he who presented each of the next of kin of the November 11, 1966, crash victims with the United States Flag during that memorial service. Then five months later Colonel Lyle met the same fate. The EC-121H aircraft was phased out and the 551st Wing was deactivated on December 31, 1969. Later, Otis AFB was renamed Otis Air National Guard Base. Today at that base, Otis Memorial Park is dedicated to the 50 members of the crews of the three aircraft who lost their lives. With the exception of the remaining immediate family members of the flyers and some of the friends of the flyers, few remember these tragic events ever happened. I admit that I never knew about these events until a constituent of mine from the Second Congressional District of Florida, Senior Master Sergeant A.J. Northup, USAF (Ret.), brought this to my attention. I would be remiss if I didn't recognize MSgt. Northup and his 30 years of service to our nation. He actually spent four years as an Airborne Radio Operator/Electronic Countermeasures Operator aboard the RC-121 at Otis AFB. I thank him for his service to our nation and for working to bring these events to light. More than half a century ago, President Franklin Roosevelt reminded the American people that, ``Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.'' I hope that we as a nation, and each of us as individuals, will take to heart President Roosevelt's reminder that it is the sacred duty and great privilege of the living to honor and remember those who have died to protect the American ideals of freedom, democracy and liberty. The men and women who have died in service to America, and especially the 50 heroes aboard these fateful EC-121H flights, deserve no less.

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably delayed on rollcall votes 598 and 599. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on both 598 and 599.

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably delayed on rollcall votes 595 and 596. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on both 595 and 596.

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 589, 590, and 591 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 589, 590, and 591.

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on rollcall vote 580 and rollcall vote 581. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted no on rollcall vote 580 and no on rollcall vote 581.

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I want to follow up where our colleague, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Minge) has left off and actually rise in opposition to the rule which will give us a series of six 24-hour continuing resolutions. According to information, Mr. Speaker, compiled by the House Committee on the Budget, the Republican leadership is in the process of busting the spending cap of $600.3 billion that they set earlier this year. Keep in mind that the Congress has not sent all 13 appropriations bills to the President yet, but if the present trend continues, the Republicans are on track to spend $620.5 billion, which means they will have busted the spending caps that they set by over $20 billion. In fact, on the nine bills that Congress has agreed upon, the Republican leadership has agreed to spend over $11 billion more than the President requested in his budget. Considering the House and Senate have not even worked out the differences on three of the 13 appropriations bills, including the huge Labor-HHS-Education bill, this number will only get significantly larger. The really sad thing is that, Mr. Speaker, all of this could have been avoided. The Blue Dog Coalition worked very hard last spring to develop a viable budget plan and reached out and offered to work with the Republican leadership to reach a bipartisan agreement that would receive widespread support on both sides of the aisle. First, our plan would have locked up 100 percent of the Social Security surplus for future retirees. It would have set aside 5 percent of the non-Social Security surplus for debt reduction over the next 10 years; set aside 20 percent of the non-Social Security surplus for tax cuts, and allowed Federal spending to grow at a rate of 2.5 percent over last year. However, like last year, Mr. Speaker, the Republican leadership was not interested in reaching a compromise. They enacted a completely unrealistic budget that set spending caps on the 13 annual appropriations bills at levels which assured those caps would be ignored this fall. The fact that Congress is now in the 4th week of a new fiscal year with three of the 13 appropriations bills still not ready for the President's signature, including one that the Senate has not even considered, shows how unrealistic their budget was in March. Because they do not have a sound budget plan, this Republican Congress is on track to spend more money than any other Congress in history, with an increase in non-Defense spending of 5.2 percent over last year. I repeat, an increase in non-Defense spending of 5.2 percent over last year. This is over twice the rate of spending growth proposed in the Blue Dog budget. This orgy of spending is a result of the poor budget decisions made by the Republican leadership in March of this year. Instead of working to develop a bipartisan budget plan with responsible tax and spending priorities, instead of working to develop a bipartisan plan with responsible priorities, we have passed a budget that made a nice political statement to a faction within the party with virtually no chance of being successfully implemented. Mr. Speaker, there is an old saying that we use back home: you reap what you sow. When we sowed the seeds that grew into a budget back in March, the Republican leadership rejected every offer of compromise from the Blue Dog Coalition. Now it is fall and the crop has failed. We are 24 days past the end of the fiscal year with the spending caps destroyed, three appropriations bills left to pass, and no idea how much more will be spent. Mr. Speaker, this is fiscally irresponsible, and it is a direct result of the failure of the Republican leadership to develop a sound budget plan back in March.

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of our colleagues in the House of Representatives a dear friend of mine from my home State of Florida, Congresswoman Tillie Fowler. Representative Fowler was first elected to the House in 1992. Since then, she has quickly climbed the leadership ladder and currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Republican Conference. This notable accomplishment makes her the highest ranking woman in Congress and the only Floridian in the House Leadership. In addition to her role as Vice Chairman, Mrs. Fowler also serves as a Deputy Majority Whip. Throughout her career in Congress, Representative Fowler has been an inexhaustible voice for the importance of a strong and ready national defense. Her Congressional District is home to many military installations, including Jacksonville's Mayport Naval Air Station. Mrs. Fowler has worked not only to enhance the readiness of our military forces and to ensure that our combat equipment is modernized, but to improve the quality of life for military personnel and their dependents--the very reason that our military is the most powerful fighting force in the world. Her political deftness and ability to bring people together have been a huge benefit to the people of Florida and our nation. For example, when allegations of sexual misconduct arose at several military training bases, Representative Fowler was appointed to cochair a Congressional Task Force investigating the matter. Mrs. Fowler has also served on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. From her position on this committee, she worked with other key members of the Florida delegation to steer millions of needed transportation dollars to Florida when the House reauthorized the nation's transportation system. Representative Fowler worked to ensure the state of Florida, long short-changed under past funding formulas, would get its fair share of federal transportation dollars. Thanks to her, Florida now receives $440 million more each year than it had in the past to deal with the severe transportation obstacles that we face. Mrs. Fowler will leave Congress with a legacy that is her own; one of kindness, compassion, and accomplishment. She will forever serve as a role model to young women and it has been a pleasure and distinct honor to serve with her in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her leadership, intellect, charm and grace will be sorely missed when she retires from the House of Representatives at the end of the 106th Congress. In closing, I wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Fowler family, her husband Buck and daughters, Tillie Anne and Elizabeth, for sharing their loving mother and adoring wife with the American people.

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), and also my partner, the gentleman from Virginia, the chairman of the subcommittee, for his skill in which he has managed this legislation. Mr. Speaker, make no mistake that this is an education bill, a rural education bill that is very important to many, many communities around the country, including some communities in north Florida. As we have heard described here today, a compact was made in 1908 with these communities when the forest lands were put into the ownership of the Federal Government, and that compact has been broken. This legislation will fix that compact again and make it work like it is supposed to. I know in my particular area, the way that compact was broken was the fact that the Forest Service began to manage their timberlands in a different way because of the protection of the habitat for the endangered red cockaded woodpecker. The revenues to our local school districts in those forest communities declined by as much as 90 percent. So this, again, will go a long ways toward correcting that. I want to give a word of thanks to our partners who have helped us here. Again, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal), who was an original cosponsor of this legislation with myself, also the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner), the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton), and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm). Also, Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff members who have done a wonderful job of negotiating some very difficult and complex negotiations with the Senate and the administration in the last 10 days. That is Dave Tenny, Brent Gattis, and Quinton Robinson, from the House Committee on Agriculture; Doug Crandall from the House Committee on Resources; Penny Dodge and Amelia Jenkins with the office of the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio); Trent Ashby with the office of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner); Tom Pyle with the majority whip's office; and Chris Schloesser from my own staff. I also want to thank the chairman of the National Forest Counties and Schools Coalition, Mr. Bob Douglas, whose group certainly provided impetus for us to get to this point today. And I also want to thank my own superintendent of schools in Liberty County, Florida, who has been a leader for me in this, Mr. Hal Summers.

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I first want to say what a deep and abiding respect that I have for the appropriations team that has developed and passed 13 appropriations bills off the House floor, our ranking member, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey); ranking member on the subcommittee, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur); my dear friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), chairman of the full committee; and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Skeen), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies. I sit on the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies, as the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) said, and have worked hard to understand the issues in the bill and to have some input into them. Some issues I won, and some issues I lost. I understood that was the democratic process and the process of the rules that we govern ourselves by in this House. I assumed that we would move forward and have a vote on the House floor and some we would win and some we would lose. I want to remind, Mr. Speaker, the rank and file Members and our constituents that the House and the Senate passed this appropriations bill out of their respective Chambers over 60 days ago, before we broke for the August recess. Under the rules, normally you would think after you pass a bill like that and you have differences that you would have a conference on that. Well, we were noticed this morning that the leadership of this body is thinking about appointing conferees over 60 days later. Now we are 2 days from the end of the fiscal year. I understand there are problems, that there are differences on the Cuba embargo and there are differences on the prescription drugs, but that is why the Members of this Chamber were elected, to resolve those differences. The people of this Nation understand those two issues and the people they sent up here to represent them understand them. Let the body work its will. Let us have an up and down vote. Those are two very important issues. Obviously the Cuba thing is important, more important to the State of Florida than it is to some other States. So what is wrong with having the Members of the United States House of Representatives who were elected and sent here to decide those issues have a vote on that? What is wrong with letting them have a vote on the prescription drug issue, the reimportation issue which is another hang-up in this bill that the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) and the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) have so ardently advanced. It is an issue which is very important to our constituents. I do not understand this process where we are going to bottle things up and we are going to have some staff in the back room with occasional consultation with a couple of Members make these decisions and then you have an up and down vote later on. I think the conference is designed to resolve those issues and we ought to follow the regular order and let the conference work.

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, education has always been a key to opportunity in America. Historically Black Colleges and Universities [HBCUs] were created as early as 1837 to provide African-Americans access to higher education. America's HBCUs have provided a crucial avenue to educational and economic advancement for African-American youth for more than 150 years. The best opportunities for personal and professional success will go to those who are well educated. Our Nation's HBCUs have assisted African-American and other students in achieving their educational goals and reaching their full potential, while keeping tuition costs affordable. The vast majority of African-Americans with bachelor's degrees in engineering, computer science, life science, business, and mathematics have graduated from one of the 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. These graduates, numbering 300,000 African- Americans, make up the majority of our Nation's African-American military officers, physicians, Federal judges, elected officials, and business executives. The distinguished faculty members at HBCUs serve as role models and mentors, challenging students to reach their full potential. I am proud to have one of these universities in the congressional district that I represent. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, founded on October 3, 1887, in Tallahassee, Florida, as the State Normal College for Colored Students, began classes with 15 students and 2 instructors. Since then, it has become an institution of higher learning, striving toward even greater heights of academic excellence. Today, Florida A&M University is one of nine 4-year, public, co-educational and fully accredited institution of higher learning in Florida's State University System, and excellence remains its goal. For more than 100 years, Florida A&M University has served the citizens of the State of Florida and the Nation through its provision of preeminent educational programs. By serving the African-American community, HBCUs, like FAMU, serve all Americans. These institutions embody many of our most deeply cherished values--equality, diversity, opportunity, and hard work. FAMU is a source of great pride and a symbol of economic, social, and political growth in the community and the Nation. Preparing talented young men and women to succeed in every sector of our economy, FAMU, ``Florida's Opportunity University,'' is committed to meeting the challenges and needs of future generations. As education and diversity become increasingly important in the 21st century, graduates of HBCUs will continue to be at the vanguard of America's progress. I would like to commend Florida A&M University for its commitment to educational opportunity, outstanding performance, and invaluable contributions to the people of Florida.

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Chairman, it is a technical amendment. I ask support for the amendment.

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Chairman, I want to make sure that we have the amendment correct. It should be the amendment that changes the ``Town of Harris'' to the ``Town of Thompson.''

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words, and I rise in support of the Brown amendment. Mr. Chairman, I would like to bring to the attention of the gentleman from New Mexico (Chairman Skeen) and the body that this certainly has been described as a very serious issue in America today. I appreciate the opposition of the gentleman from New Mexico (Chairman Skeen) to it on the basis of the funding. We do not know exactly where the funding is coming from, and I also understand that this is an issue that was not brought to the attention of the committee or subcommittee prior to today for increased funding. I would like to let the body know that there is some funding in the food safety initiative and the FDA has the jurisdiction, or the responsibility, of looking at these kinds of issues and monitoring this, and we are absolutely not doing a sufficient job. I think that we do need some additional resources and efforts in this area. I would encourage, Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Skeen) to try to work with us to see if we could not find some additional funding as we move into conference, but I would like to support the amendment of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown).

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer this amendment to right a wrong against the oyster harvesters of Connecticut. This amendment would ensure that no funds would be used to force these men and women to return vital disaster aid back to USDA. Three years ago, the oyster fishermen who work the Long Island Sound and their families faced tough times. By the fall of 1998, over 95 percent of the oysters on 1,750 acres of oyster beds had died, devastating the $62 million industry and the families that relied on it for survival. The USDA provided $1.5 million in disaster assistance last year to help get these families through the crisis and to ensure the long-time survival of Connecticut's valuable oyster industry. It was the right thing to do. It helped these small businesses get through tough times. The oystermen thought that they had weathered the storm. But after surviving the crisis, just a few weeks ago the oyster harvesters got a letter in the mail from the USDA saying it was sorry, it made a mistake, and it wanted its money back; it wanted the $1.5 million returned. That money that was invested in reseeding oyster beds so that there would be an oyster harvest in the future, and it went to pay mortgages, to repair boats, and to feed and educate children. Mr. Chairman, these are not people that have $1.5 million to give back to the Department of Agriculture. They should not be forced to mortgage their homes and futures to pay for a bureaucratic mistake. My amendment would simply prohibit any funds made available in this act or in any other act from being used to recover part or all of any payment erroneously made to any Connecticut oyster harvester for oyster losses in 1998. CBO has ruled it as budget neutral, taking no essential funds out of this bill. I call on my colleagues to support the amendment and bring justice home to the oyster harvesters of Connecticut.

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I also want to stand in opposition to the gentleman from California's amendment. I would agree with the gentleman that ad hoc disaster assistance payments on an annual or even sometimes more than an annual basis is not the way to run a good railroad here. I think the reason we have had to do that is because we have had a failed national agricultural policy called Freedom to Farm. However, the gentleman's amendment does not deal with that problem; what his amendment does is go after such programs as Federal food safety programs, the APHIS programs which control the pests and diseases which we have all talked about here in the last month or two, such things as plum pox and citrus canker and glassy wing sharpshooter, and all of those sorts of invasive pests that come from other countries which the APHIS has the responsibility of keeping out of this country. The regulation of safety and drugs and medical devices by the FDA would be cut by this gentleman's amendment; nutrition programs for children and the elderly; housing, water and sewer, and economic development programs available in rural and small town America; conservation programs of vital importance; those are the programs that the amendment cuts. So I would implore the gentleman from California, Mr. Chairman. If he would like to work with us on improving the national agricultural policy of this Nation, I would very much like to do that, but I do not believe that this amendment is the right way to go, and I urge its defeat.

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment also. I think, as the distinguished gentleman from New Mexico (Chairman Skeen) has said, the Market Access Program is a program that comes under attack every year in this appropriations process. But yet the Market Access Program is designed to help small and independents producers, small businesses get into foreign markets. This Congress basically has said to our agricultural producers that the savior for your future is foreign markets. But, yet, we are unwilling, we make an attempt on an annual basis to eliminate a program which helps small businesses and agricultural producers get into those markets. Mr. Chairman, I know the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) quoted some report. I would like to read from a report that was done by Deloitte and Touche, who was hired by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture to evaluate MAP. I quote, ``MAP is a significant source of support for new companies and new products entering foreign markets. MAP support is also beneficial to small firms as they begin to export. Our cases suggest that, without MAP support, many small firms would not be capable of carrying out standard marketing programs in key foreign markets.'' Mr. Chairman, I encourage the Members to defeat the amendment.

Mr. BOYD

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I want to thank the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Skeen) and the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for their wonderful leadership on getting us to this point where we have this legislation on the floor today. Mr. Chairman, 4 years ago, in 1996, when we changed, significantly changed, this Congress changed the agricultural policy of this country with the so-called Freedom to Farm bill, that was a very drastic change and a move in the opposite direction of the way we had managed our agricultural policy in this country for the last 60 or 70 previous years. At that time, our farmers were promised that in exchange for the support program that had been in place for that 60 or 70 years, that the farmers would be given two things, as I recall. One was they would be given access to worldwide markets which would assist us in keeping a price at a level where our farmers could make a profit. The other was some decline in the excessive regulation that exists at the farm level. Now, it is obvious after 4 years that neither one of these promises have been delivered upon. I think we should have known back in 1996 that the regulation that is in place is put there in many cases for a good purpose, and we are not going back on that. Meanwhile, we have been unable to deliver the worldwide markets that we promised in 1996. What we are experiencing today is worldwide low commodity prices at levels where our farmers really are not able to make a profit in the long term. If that is the only source they had, they would not be able to sustain themselves and stay in business. As a result, this United States Congress comes in every year with an ad hoc disaster assistance program.