Remarks on Signing the
Disaster Assistance Act of 1988
Good
morning, and welcome to the White House. And my greetings to the distinguished
Members of Congress who've done so much to make this possible -- this
legislation that I'm about to sign -- Dick Lugar, Ed Madigan, Pat Leahy, and Kika de la Garza. And special greetings to the Krone family, whose farm I visited not long ago in
And
since you welcomed me to your home, I thought it would be only fitting to
invite you here to Nancy's and mine. Well, I know that there are a number of
other farmers here today, including some who were visited by Secretary Lyng and the Interagency Drought Policy Committee, and so,
welcome to all of you.
The
bill that I'm about to sign represents the largest disaster-relief measure in
history. According to this legislation, farmers who lost more than 35 percent
of a crop will receive direct payments to help cover their losses. Livestock
producers who've suffered losses in feed production due to the drought will
also receive relief. In all, hundreds of thousands of farmers and ranchers will
benefit.
The
bill expresses a distinctly American tradition: that of lending a helping hand
when misfortune strikes. And there's another tradition it embodies, one of our
noblest political traditions: bipartisanship. Congressional leaders on both
sides of the aisle worked together on this legislation in the understanding
that the need to help our farmers rose far above any partisan politics. And I'm
especially pleased that they were able to do so, operating within our budget
requirements. And I want to add my special thanks to my Secretary of
Agriculture, Dick Lyng. Dick, this is your bill.
This
legislation is helpful and generous, but at the same time, it's not a
budget-buster, since the drought will reduce the cost of our regular farm
programs. To ensure the continued success of this important bill, we must stick
to the principles I've outlined: targeting assistance to the truly needy and
emphasizing sound business decisions. That way, we'll be able to keep costs
down to the $3.9 billion currently estimated. You know, when I told the Krones about the trouble we so often have with special
interests adding unnecessary costs to legislation, they said, ``Let's save the
Christmas trees for the 25th of December.'' Well, we've done just that.
Congratulations
to the congressional leadership on a job well done. Special congratulations to
Secretary of Agriculture Dick Lyng, for his
leadership throughout this legislative effort. But most of all, congratulations
to
American
agriculture is one of the great success stories of our time. As recently as
1949, a single American farmer could feed 19 people for a year. Today a single
American farmer feeds 120 people for a year. American products are shipped
around the world. And through all these decades, despite drought and misfortune,
American agriculture continues to succeed.
So,
thank you all, God bless you, and now let me get to signing it.
You
have to hear that. Senator Dole has just said, ``We
spell relief L-y-n-g.''
Note: The President
spoke at