FW: NCSA Alert -- Tell Your Senators to Vote NO on BudgetReconciliation

**"Betsy Johnson" b*@bgjohnson.com**

ALERT!
December 19, 2005

Budget-Cutting Reconciliation Bill Passes the House
Senate Vote Scheduled Late Tonight or Tuesday AM

CALL YOUR SENATORS NOW!

Over the weekend, members of the Budget Reconciliation Conference
Committee negotiated a deal resolving differences in their House and
Senate Budget Reconciliation Bills.   The Budget Reconciliation Bill now
has been approved by the House and is expected to go to the Senate floor
for a vote either tonight or tomorrow. 

THE BILL CUTS MORE THAN $1 BILLION FROM THE CONSERVATION SECURITY
PROGRAM (CSP) PLUS ANOTHER $760 MILLION BY ENTIRELY ELIMINATING THE
INITIATIVE FOR FUTURE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS (IFAFS) FOR THREE
YEARS.  

These two programs, combined, make up a majority of the agriculture
funding cuts -- even though they represent only 1 percent of total
agriculture spending!  If the Senate approves the bill, IFAFS will be
gone, and CSP will have, at best, a small sign-up in 2007 followed by
consecutive years of little or no growth.

The bright spots in what is a very bad bill are that the cuts proposed
by the House for the Food Stamp Program and for the Value-Added Producer
Grant program were dropped from the final package.  

BUT THE BILL STILL MAKES LARGE CUTS TO THE STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM AND A
VARIETY OF IMPORTANT PROGRAMS THAT AID LOW-INCOME CHILDREN, FAMILIES,
AND THE ELDERLY.  And while the bill contributes $42 billion to deficit
reduction, all that gain will be more than wiped out by a pending $60
billion tax cut bill that primarily benefits wealthier citizens.

The House vote was close (212-206), but in the end only 9 Republican
members voted no.  THE VOTE IN THE SENATE IS EXPECTED TO BE CLOSER
STILL, AND WILL LIKELY COME DOWN TO THE DECISIONS OF JUST ONE OR TWO
SENATORS.  The Senate is expected to take up the conference report this
afternoon, with a vote expected tonight or tomorrow.  

While calls to all Senators are very important, it is urgently important
that these Senators hear from their constituents:

Collins (ME), Snowe (ME)
Chafee (RI)
Specter (PA)
DeWine (OH), Voinovich (OH)
Coleman (MN)
Talent (MO)
Hagel (NE), Nelson (NE)
Smith (OR)

CALL THE TOLL-FREE NUMBER:  800-426-8073.  ASK TO BE CONNECTED TO YOUR
SENATORS, AND TELL THEM:  

PLEASE VOTE NO ON THE BUDGET RECONCILIATION CONFERENCE REPORT.  It
unfairly targets the Conservation Security Program and Initiative for
Future Agriculture and Food Systems for huge cuts, AND it hurts low-
income children, families, the elderly and disabled.  Do not allow these
one-sided sacrifices to be directed at agriculture, rural communities,
and low-income Americans while Congress is preparing to give still more
tax breaks to the rich.

Thank you for your efforts!

Pam Browning
Policy Coordinator
National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture
110 Maryland Avenue, Suite 306
Washington, DC 20002
Phone:  202-544-5466
pam@sustainableagriculture.net
http://www.sustainableagriculture.net
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