April 3, 2003
The Honorable Don Nickles, Chairman
Budget Committee
United States Senate
621 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Jim Nussle, Chairman
Budget Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
309 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Nickles and Chairman Nussle:
The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (FSRIA) was enacted less than one year ago following two years of exhaustive debate in the House and Senate. It is not even fully implemented. The new farm law represents a delicate balance by effectively addressing the stability of our agricultural production base, protecting our important natural resources and enhancing nutrition and food assistance programs for our citizens. The careful allocation of resources evidenced by the new law should not be upset so soon after its enactment.
The mandatory programs administered by the Department of Agriculture (i.e., commodity, conservation, crop insurance, nutrition, forestry and other valuable programs) are of enormous importance to farmers, ranchers, rural businesses, low-income Americans and all our nation's children. Therefore, we respectfully urge the conferees to avoid reconciliation instructions to any committees other than the Finance and Ways and Means committees.
In addition, we urge the conferees to adequately fund discretionary spending, and ask that you adopt a discretionary spending total at the level of the Senate resolution, which is similar to the President's budget.
The undersigned organizations respectfully urge the conference committee not to include any reconciliation instructions in the final budget resolution to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, the House Committee on Agriculture, or the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Thank you for consideration of our views.
Sincerely,
National Farmers Union
National Cotton Council
Advocates for Better Children's Diets
Afterschool Alliance
American Association of Crop Insurers
American Association of School Administrators
American Commodity Distribution Association
American Corn Growers Association
American Dietetic Association
American Farm Bureau Federation
American Farmland Trust
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
American Federation of Teachers
American Friends Service Committee
American School Food Service Association
American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers
American Soybean Association
American Sugar Alliance
Americans for Democratic Action
America's Second Harvest
Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs
Bread for the World
Center on Hunger & Poverty, Brandeis University
Child Nutrition Forum
Children's Defense Fund
Children's Foundation
Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism
Community Alliance with Family Farmers
Congressional Hunger Center
Crop Insurance Research Bureau
Defenders of Wildlife
Evangelical Church in America
Farm Credit Council
Food Research and Action Center
Migrant Legal Action Program
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Association for the Education of Young Children
National Association of Child Advocates
National Association of Conservation Districts
National Association of Farmer-Elected Committees
National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils
National Association of State Conservation Agencies
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
National Association Wheat Growers
National Audubon Society
National Barley Growers Association
National Center on Poverty Law
National Coalition for the Homeless
National Corn Growers Association
National Education Association
National Grain Sorghum Producers
National Grange
National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
National Milk Producers Federation
National Recreation and Park Association
National School-Age Care Alliance
National Sunflower Association
National WIC Association
National Wild Turkey Federation
RESULTS
Share Our Strength
South East Dairy Farmers Association
Southern Peanut Farmers Federation
Soybean Producers of America
U.S. Canola Association
United Egg Producers
United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association
US Rice Producers Association
USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council
USA Rice Federation
Western United Dairymen
World Hunger Year