Roberts, 2-3-93, page two 



Yet, unless we can convince a majority in this Congress and 

 those on the Budget Committee, that these are priority national 

 needs and we can obtain the funds from someone else's budget 

 pasture, the money is not there and we will again be faced with 

 very difficult choices. 



We have already mandated cuts in program payments to hard 

 pressed producers. I want to serve notice that any attempt to fund 

 additional programs at the expense of producer income will be 

 opposed. 



Since the mid-1980' s, the Chairman has stressed over and over 

 again that we in agriculture have taken the often bitter but 

 necessary medicine of deficit reduction. We have done our share. 

 As the Chairman has pointed out by use of his well recognized 

 budget chart, they waste more in other federal agencies than we 

 spend in agriculture. 



Let everyone understand we will continue to do our part. If 

 this Congress enacts a freeze or decides to exact budget cuts, rest 

 assured we will meet our responsibilities but we will not shoulder 

 the budget problems alone. We will fight to make sure budget 

 freezes and cuts apply to all federal outlays. 



In addition, the 1990 farm bill put in place several 

 innovative programs to provide income assistance to farmers, 

 provide incentives to enhance the performance of conservation 

 provisions and re-emphasized the need for USDA research efforts to 

 focus on farm management methods that met both economic and 

 environmental goals. 



Because we have been forced over the past few years to make 

 real, binding cuts in outlays, the viability of the 1990 farm 

 bill's provisions are clearly threatened. Simply put, we do not 

 have the funds to back up what we said we should do in the farm 

 bill not to mention funding any partnership efforts to assist farm 

 country work through all of the mandates within the farm bill. 



Mr. Secretary, we also face egually difficult challenges in 

 regard to our exports and trade negotiations. There is much 

 disagreement on what constitutes a good GATT or NAFTA treaty. But 

 the fact remains we must make progress on these trade agreements if 

 there is to be any hope for producers to compete on the so-called 

 level playing field in world commodity and high value produce 

 markets. The alternative is to continue down the road to being a 

 residual supplier and that is a dead end trail. 



The most immediate challenge regarding export policy however, 

 is what the Administration will recommend to deal with the Russian 

 credit problem. 



