Senate Proceeding on Oct 19th, 2011 :: 9:17:10 to 9:21:35
Total video length: 11 hours 59 minutes Stream Tools: Stream Overview | Edit Time

Note: MetaVid video transcripts may contain inaccuracies, help us build a more perfect archive

Views:26 Duration: 0:04:25 Discussion

Previous speech:

Next speech:

9:17:02 to 9:17:23( Edit History Discussion )

Pat Roberts: having a strong set of tools to manage risk and a safety net that's there when farmers need it. so i would yield to my friend, the distinguished ranking member. robert robert i thank very much the distinguished c yielding. we're talking about the amendment number pending amendment, to be offered

9:17:10 to 9:21:35( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Pat Roberts

9:17:24 to 9:17:44( Edit History Discussion )

Pat Roberts: by my friend and colleague from oklahoma, senator coburn. mr. roberts: and i must oppose the coburn amendment to severely diminish the farm safety net for america's farmers and ranchers, mr. president. i know that's not the intent of his amendment, as he sees it, but unfortunately that would be

9:17:45 to 9:18:05( Edit History Discussion )

Pat Roberts: the practical effect, as the chairwoman has indicated. the setting of adjusted gross income caps or what we call a.g.i. caps, is a policy issue that should be handled by the authorizing committee. not during the appropriations process. more specifically, this issue is a farm bill issue, if you will,

9:18:06 to 9:18:26( Edit History Discussion )

Pat Roberts: and it is currently being considered in the context of the joint deck committee process, the supersubcommittee. the chairwoman has described in detail our efforts, both the house principals and the chairwoman and myself in submitting to the joint debt committee our suggestions on how

9:18:27 to 9:18:48( Edit History Discussion )

Pat Roberts: we can meet our deficit reduction responsibilities. so as people consider this amendment, i think it's important to remember that the 2008 farm bill, as the chairwoman has indicated, included the most comprehensive and far-reaching reform to farm promise eligibility requirements in 20 years.

9:18:49 to 9:19:10( Edit History Discussion )

Pat Roberts: that included reform to the a.g.i. caps, to which the coburn amendment refers. it is also important for my colleagues to understand that the adjusted gross income for a farmer is not pure profit. personal expenses and servicing of debt must still be covered, given the capital-intensive nature of farming and the cost

9:19:11 to 9:19:32( Edit History Discussion )

Pat Roberts: of inputs such as land and machinery, servicing debt alone can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. so supporters of these limits all tend to talk about how few -- how few farmers would be impacted by these caps. but the advocates also only tend to look at farmers who file

9:19:33 to 9:19:55( Edit History Discussion )

Pat Roberts: schedule-f tax forms. this rather simple police sticks approach fails to reflect the fact that most directions that could be directly impacted by the a.g.i. caps that they are recommending do not file schedule f-tax returns because of how they have chosen to organize their farming operations. therefore, most advocates of these caps seriously underestimate the number of

9:19:56 to 9:20:17( Edit History Discussion )

Pat Roberts: producers and the share of acres for production that would be left without a safety net. to make matters works because this limit would be implemented using the appropriations legislation instead of authorizing legislation, it would not repeal the already existing a.g.i. limits of

9:20:18 to 9:20:38( Edit History Discussion )

Pat Roberts: $750,000 for on-farm income and $500,000 for off-farm income. in other words, this amendment would simply add another layer -- another cap -- another layer of bureaucracy to the already existing structure, further complicating usda's work on this

9:20:39 to 9:21:04( Edit History Discussion )

Pat Roberts: at the time when resources are extremely limited and when we are going to be in the process of wit ago new farm bill -- of writing a new farm bill not to mention meeting our deficit obligations to the supercommittee. therefore, i encourage my colleagues to oppose the coburn amendment and allow the agricultural committees to address this issue in the appropriate venue.

9:21:10 to 9:21:27( Edit History Discussion )

Pat Roberts: i yield back, mr. president, a careful objection by this member would indicate that a quorum is not present. the presiding officer: the clerk will call th