 Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. Thank you very much. Good morning and welcome to the White House. Please be seated. And my greetings to the distinguished members of Congress who've done so much to make this possible, this legislation that I'm about to sign. Dick Luger, Ed Madigan, Pat Leahy, and Kiki Delegarza. And special greetings to the Crone family, whose farm I visited not long ago in Decoyne, Illinois. That region of Illinois is among those hardest hit by the drought. But even in the midst of this trial, the Crones offered me their warm hospitality. And since you welcomed me to your home, I thought it'd be only fitting to invite you here to Nancy's and mine. Well, I know that there are a number of other farmers here today, including some who were visited by Secretary Ling and the Interagency Drought Policy Committee. And so welcome to all of you. The bill that I'm about to sign represents the largest disaster relief measure in history. According to this legislation, farmers who lost more than 35% of a crop will receive direct payments to help cover their losses. Livestock producers who've suffered losses in feed production due to the drought bill also receive relief. In all, hundreds of thousands of farmers and ranchers will benefit. The bill expresses a distinctly American tradition that of lending a helping hand when misfortune strikes. And there's another tradition that embodies one of our noblest political traditions, bipartisanship. Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle work together on this legislation in the understanding that the need to help our farmers rose far above any partisan politics. And I'm especially pleased that they were able to do so operating within our budget requirements. And I want to add my special thanks to my Secretary of Agriculture, Dick Ling. Dick, this is your bill. This legislation is helpful and generous, but at the same time it's not a budget buster since the drought will reduce the cost of our regular farm programs. To ensure the continued success of this important bill, we must stick to the principles I've outlined. Targeting assistance to the truly needy and emphasizing sound business decisions. That way we'll be able to keep costs down to the $3.9 billion currently estimated. You know, when I told the Croans about the trouble we so often have with special interest adding unnecessary costs to legislation, they said, let's save the Christmas trees for the 25th of December. Well, we've done just that. Congratulations to the congressional leadership on a job well done. Special congratulations to Secretary of Agriculture, Dick Ling, for his leadership throughout this legislative effort. But most of all, congratulations to America's farmers for the indomitable spirit with which they've been facing this crisis. This bill isn't as good as rain, but it'll tide you over until normal weather and your own skills permit you to return to your accustomed role of being the most productive farmers in the world. American agriculture is one of the great success stories of our time. As recently as 1949, a single American farmer could feed 19 people for a year. Today, a single American farmer feeds 120 people for a year. American products are shipped around the world. Through all these decades, despite drought and misfortune, American agriculture continues to succeed. So thank you. Thank you all. God bless you. And now, let me get to signing.