SENATE VOTE BLOCKS FARM BILL PROGRESS

Progress on a new Farm Bill stalled Nov. 16 after the Senate failed to get enough votes to close debate and move the bill forward. Sen. Tom Harkin has offered a substitute amendment to the 2007 Farm Bill that strikes House-passed language and inserts language reported by the Senate Agriculture Committee. The 55-42 vote for cloture fell short of the needed 60 votes. Debate will continue after the Thanksgiving recess, reducing the chance that a new Farm Bill will be passed before next year’s elections. On the House side, Ranking committee member Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Rep. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) introduced a bill on Nov. 15 to extend current Farm Bill for one year. Acting U.S. Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner said Nov. 15, "I believe Congress has a responsibility to deliver a new farm bill.” He highlighted specialty crops in his remarks, saying, “We heard a strong message from specialty crop growers who simply asked for more equitable support in the form of funding for research and fighting trade barriers. Failure to pass a new farm bill would send specialty crop growers a message that they haven't yet earned more equitable treatment in farm policy.” Several congressional staffers and members of Congress speculated that President Bush is urging Senate Republicans to kill the Farm Bill so that he will not be forced to make good on his threatened veto.

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