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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release June 20, 2000
        RADIO ACTUALITY OF THE PRESIDENT ON THE SIGNING INTO
              LAW OF THE AGRICULTURE RISK PROTECTION ACT

THE PRESIDENT: Today I'm signing into law the Agriculture Risk Protection Act, which makes the federal crop insurance system more inclusive and affordable. The bill also includes $7.2 billion in emergency farm assistance to help farmers suffering from plummeting crop prices.

While this bill is important, it still fails to fix what is plainly an unsuccessful farm policy. We should be targeting assistance where it's truly needed, instead of making payments to farmers who haven't planted a crop and who don't need our help. That's why we need to revise, revamp, and improve the 1996 Freedom Farm Bill -- to build a safety net that adequately protects our nation's farmers.

This actuality is available on the White House Press Office Radio Actuality Line at (202) 456-5671.

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