Grassley said his support for the Lugar proposal was based on his concern that other approaches may jeopardize the delivery and ultimately limit the amount of federal assistance to farmers in Iowa.
"There are two issues here," Grassley said. "Number one, how do we get federal dollars to farmers as quickly as possible? I want to make sure Congress delivers the $5.5 billion in emergency aid to farmers that I got included in the budget last spring. I'm not opposed to additional relief for farmers, but by expanding the package, the Agriculture Committee created a situation where many more hoops need to be cleared before the money can be sent out the door. Those delays are risky because the money needs to be spent by September 30, or it's no longer available."
Grassley said the second issue is making sure there's not a reduction in the farm bill dollars that go to the traditional commodities of corn and soybeans. "The Agriculture Committee bill makes specialty crops and other interests eligible for the assistance in this year's package," he said. "And that opens the door on the eve of the farm bill debate to the specialty crops wanting to get a regular share of the farm bill dollars. If they do, that's less money for corn and soybeans. While those crops are important, they are not vital to our national security interests of the American people having a reliable supply of food and fiber."
In April, Grassley won Senate passage of his amendment to provide $5.5 billion in this fiscal year for supplemental agriculture assistance, along with $73.5 billion over the next ten years for the farm program. Grassley advanced this bipartisan legislation as a senior member of the Budget Committee.