Bernie Sanders

Mr. SANDERS

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

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from South Dakota for his comments. Mr. Chairman, the Starbase program is a chance for Members in the House to support their National Guard and to fund an educational program that represents just the kind of policy initiatives we need in this country. It is endorsed by the National Guard Association of the United States and cosponsored by the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Thune), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bentsen). I would just conclude by thanking the gentleman from Florida very much and the other Members for their support for this important initiative. Amendment Offered by Mr. Bentsen

Mr. SANDERS. I thank the gentleman for his commitment. I see that the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Thune), a strong supporter of the Starbase program, is also on the floor. I yield to the gentleman from South Dakota.

Mr. SANDERS. This in my view is very unfortunate, but I am hopeful that the gentleman will work to support the National Guard Starbase program in conference and bring the funding level to the $6 million appropriated in the other body.

Mr. SANDERS. I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I had an amendment at the desk, but I am not going to offer that. Instead, I would like to enter into a colloquy with the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security. Mr. Chairman, as the gentleman is aware, the National Guard Starbase program, which has reached almost 200,000 children, is a community- based National Guard program that helps kids in grades 4 through 6 learn hands-on with Guard pilots and technicians. This public school outreach program boosts kids' learning and test scores in math, science, and technology applications. At the same time, Starbase stresses the prevention of drug abuse and builds understanding of self- esteem, goal-setting and teamwork. Unfortunately, as the gentleman is aware, this important project did not receive funding in the Defense appropriations bill.

Mr. SANDERS. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey. (Mr. SMITH of New Jersey asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SANDERS. I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Reserving the right to object, Mr. Chairman, is that just on this amendment? I yield to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Skeen).

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. SANDERS

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

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I am proud to offer this bipartisan amendment with the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) to increase nutrition programs for senior citizens by $10 million. Last year, the gentleman from New Jersey and I offered a similar amendment which passed on the floor of this House, but which did not survive the conference committee. This year, we are going to do our best to see that it does survive the conference. Mr. Chairman, the truth of the matter is that as a wealthy Nation we do not treat our senior citizens with the kind of respect that we should. Half of the seniors in this country have incomes of under $15,000 a year. Four million live in poverty, and 16 million in near poverty. Most shamefully in this country today, which recently has seen a proliferation of millionaires and billionaires, tens and tens of thousands of senior citizens are malnourished and do not get the kind of nutritious diet they require. Sixteen percent of the people who receive food from emergency food banks are elderly people 65 years of age or older. Studies conducted at the University of Florida found that over 66 percent of beneficiaries of senior nutrition programs are at moderate to high risk of malnutrition. Mr. Chairman, that is not what should be going on in the United States of America. We must do better. And the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) and I are trying to do that. Mr. Chairman, this amendment funds senior commodity programs which provide grants, either food or cash, to States so that local organizations can prepare meals delivered to elderly persons in congregate settings or delivered to their homes through such programs as the Meals on Wheels program. Senior nutrition programs are a cost-effective, intelligent program which provide nutritious meals to some of the most vulnerable citizens in our country, senior citizens who are too weak and too frail to prepare their own meals. This program also provides funding to congregate meal sites where seniors not only get nutrition, but where they are able to get a chance to get out of their homes, to mingle with other senior citizens and to improve their quality of life. In Vermont and throughout this country, these are wonderful programs which work very, very well. Mr. Chairman, this is an enormously cost-effective program. For every $1 spent on senior nutrition programs, $3 were saved from Medicare and Medicaid. It is obviously that if we keep seniors healthy, they need to go to the doctor less, they need to go to the hospital less, they need less for prescription drugs. Mr. Chairman, the problem that we are facing is that 41 percent of the Meals on Wheels programs have a waiting list. That is part of the problem that the gentleman from New Jersey and I are addressing. This is an excellent program, but there are long waiting lists all over this country. Mr. Chairman, this amendment increases funding in this program from $141 million to $151 million. This simply brings us back to where we were in fiscal year 1996. This money is offset by a $10 million cut already brought about in the Bass-DeFazio amendment on animal damage control that was passed yesterday. The bottom line is that the needs of senior citizens are great. We have hungry seniors. That should not be the case in this country. This is a cost-effective program, and I urge support for this program.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from New Mexico (Chairman Skeen) very much for his acceptance of this amendment. It has been a long morning. I grant the gentleman that. But I think it is worth it, and I hope to work with him in conference so that we can stand up for senior citizens. So many of them are really hurting, and I know that the gentleman agrees that this is an important program. I thank him very much.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. What we are talking about is six States, among other things, and the legislatures and the Governors of six States and the people of six States coming together and saying, yes, it is terribly important that we save family farmers today and in the future. In terms of consumers, I say to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), let me suggest this: that family farms in the weeds around this country go out of business, and if dairy is controlled by a handful of multinational agribusiness corporations, if my colleagues think the consumers are going to get a good deal, they are wrong.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will yield, the issue here to think about, if we are concerned about consumers, is why, if the real price that family farmers have received has gone down by 50 percent and farmers all over this country are being driven off of the land, why in the supermarkets the prices have gone up.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I also am concerned about consumer prices, and the question we have to ask is, in the last 20 years, at least in my State, the real price that farmers have gotten for milk has declined in real price by 50 percent.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I am delighted to see my friend, the gentleman from Wisconsin, my good friend, suddenly defending the free market theory when on so many issues we have stood together and said that it is absolutely appropriate to protect working people, to protect family farmers against the changes in the free market.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I would like to enter into a colloquy with the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Skeen), if I might. I had planned to offer an amendment to increase funding for the rural community advancement program by $10 million in order to fund a national pilot program to promote agritourism. The purpose of this program is to provide another means of income for America's struggling family farmers. I think the plight of the family farmer in America is well documented, and I do not need to get into it right now. But as I said before, I am impressed with the work done in New Mexico with the rural economic development through tourism program. I know the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Skeen) has been very active in that program. I think it would be very useful to expand this general concept into a national program. I think it is working well in New Mexico, and I think it could work well throughout rural America. However, I understand that the funding authority for the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies has decreased significantly for fiscal year 1999, and I would, therefore, like to get a commitment from the gentleman from New Mexico to work with me in the future to fund a pilot national agritourism program for fiscal year 2000.

Mr. SANDERS. I yield to the gentleman from New Mexico.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the differences that we have in the Northeast Dairy Compact, but it is really not appropriate to call it un-American. In fact, it is the essence of what America is about. Six States at the grassroots level, people came together and they went to their legislatures and they went to their governors and they came forward to do what they thought was best for the people in their own State. So I understand the gentleman's differences, but he should not refer to it as un-American. It is democracy at work.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?