“Our farmers are vital to south Arkansas and this country, and they shouldn’t have to struggle from year to year to make ends meet,” Ross said. “I think it’s very important to get direct input from members of the agriculture community as we in Congress are writing the new Farm Bill this year and to keep them informed on how our work in Washington is affecting them, which is why we are here today.”

The House of Representatives in June passed a measure that would provide for the 2001 crop year $4.6 billion for supplemental market loss assistance payments to individuals receiving an AMTA payment as well as $900 million to aid oilseed, peanut, wool and mohair, and cottonseed producers and to address other agricultural needs. Currently, the House Committee on Agriculture, of which Ross is a member, is working to re-write the 1996 Freedom to Farm law that will expire, for the most part, in 2002. Ross believes the current farm policy has not worked.

“I want to make sure that the new Farm Bill will be a policy that will truly support our farmers and agriculture industries. Each year, we lose more and more farm families, and we cannot afford to let that continue to happen. We need to provide a safety net for our farmers so they can make it through when market prices are low or when there is a natural disaster such as a drought, flood, or ice storm,” said Ross.

Ross created his agriculture advisory council earlier this year to stay well informed on agricultural needs and issues involving the Fourth Congressional District. The council is made up of members of the various sectors of the agriculture community, and anyone who is interested in participating is encouraged to contact Ross’ congressional office at 1-800-223-2220.

WASHINGTON -- When he took his job in Congress in January, Rep. Mike Ross wanted to defy the political labeling that is a fact of life in this city. Conservative, liberal, pro-this, anti-that -- Ross said he would have none of it.
And, indeed, in his first six months in office, he has eluded easy labeling.
Among other things, Ross has voted to:
Cut taxes by $1.35 trillion over the next 10 years, making him one of only 28 House Democrats to support President Bush's legislative centerpiece.
Make it a federal crime to harm a fetus, one of only 53 Democrats to join with the Republican majority in doing so.
Overhaul bankruptcy laws, although most House Democrats, 107, voted against it, denouncing the measure as biased against consumers.
If such votes make him look as conservative as his predecessor, former Rep. Jay Dickey, a Republican, Ross cautions against such conclusions. He points to actions that would have defied Dickey's inclinations:
Bashing drug companies in news conferences and floor speeches.
Signing up as a co-sponsor of the campaign-finance reform legislation proposed by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Russell Feingold, D-Wis., plus making two public appearances with McCain.
Supporting Democratic proposals for a patients' bill of rights and other health-care legislation.
Ross, a 10-year veteran of the Arkansas Senate, won his House seat last year in one of the most fiercely contested congressional races in the country. He and Dickey combined with outside groups to spend more than $8 million on their campaigns.
As he sat down for an interview in his Capitol Hill office -- with music from an Eagles compact disc playing in his laptop computer -- Ross acknowledged he has found congressional politics frustrating in many ways.
"I've just been shocked at how partisan everything is in Washington," said the 39-year-old Prescott pharmacy owner.
What he promised voters, he said, was not to be partisan or controlled by the National Democratic Party but just to do "what makes sense" on every issue.
He cites his votes on abortion-related issues, which could, in turn, be labeled pro-life and pro-choice.
While he joined House Republicans in supporting a fetal-protection measure, he voted with Democrats to support funding overseas family-planning groups that provide abortion services and counseling.
He splits the issue even more when he puts his position into words.
"I believe abortion is wrong. I also believe that's a decision that should be made by a woman, her family and her God," he said.
"I probably don't make either side very happy, but that's just how I believe."

SHOW OF INDEPENDENCE
Regardless of how Ross presents it, political observers are sure to regard his signature vote so far as the one he cast in favor of the Bush tax cut. His fellow Arkansas Democrats, Reps. Marion Berry and Vic Snyder, voted against it.
"I thought it was the right thing to do," Ross said, adding, "I thought it was a fair compromise."
Ross noted that he opposed Bush's original $1.6 trillion proposal, which he thought would return the nation to deficit spending and high interest rates.
Critics, however, maintain there is little difference between a $1.6 trillion tax cut and $1.35 trillion package. And Democratic Party leaders have charged the administration used accounting tricks to hide an eventual 10-year cost that will exceed $2 trillion and crowd out spending for many social needs, ranging from school construction to a prescription-drug program for senior citizens.
Ross said those social needs can still be met. "It may require us to make some difficult decisions," he said, "but I am prepared to do that."
A constituent, Don Wales, president of the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce, said he has no doubt that Dickey would have supported the tax cut and that Ross didn't hurt himself politically.
And Don Watt, political analyst at Southern Arkansas University, said the tax vote probably helped Ross "by showing some independence from the Democratic Party Leadership."
While Ross eschews most labels, the one he gladly accepts is that of Blue Dog Democrat, a reference to the group of nearly three dozen centrist House Democrats who offer alternatives to the chamber's Republican and Democratic leadership on issues such as the budget and health care. They preach fiscal conservatism.
The first -- and only -- bill Ross has authored himself was a Blue Dog special, a proposal that called for putting a "lock box" on the Medicare and Social Security trust funds so that they couldn't be frittered away by congressional appropriators. It passed 407-2.
His lack of legislative proposals doesn't concern him, Ross said, noting that he has preferred to be a "team player" by signing on as a co-sponsor of other bills -- 100 so far.
"I never got an award for filing the most bills," he said of his time in the state Senate.
While Ross can't replace Dickey's presence on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, he did land seats on the Agriculture, Small Business and Financial Services committees. He hopes to use his position on the last to help meet what he describes as his 4th Congressional District's immense need for new housing.

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING
Sworn in on Jan. 3, in the aftermath of a deadly, statewide ice storm, Ross had to hit the ground running. Of the 26 counties in his district, 24 were declared federal disaster areas.
"I was sworn in at noon, and I had a conference call with FEMA at three o'clock," Ross said. FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Ross' staff said his pursuit of full disaster funding for his district -- meaning no local match is required -- has resulted in more than $183 million in federal relief for south Arkansas.
Ross is also proud of his role in helping to defend $93 million in funding for the proposed Interstate 49 south of Texarkana from an apparent White House attempt to rescind it.
While some, such as Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., have suggested the White House was feinting in order to set the stage for Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., to come to the rescue, Ross said he doesn't care.
"You should be upset anytime anybody tries to take $93 million away from your district," he said.
Since being sworn in, Ross said, he has logged more than 30,000 miles back and forth across south Arkansas to meet with voters and listen to their concerns.
Said Wales, the chamber of commerce official, "I think the general perception is that he's trying."

This article was published on Monday, July 2, 2001