Conner: Same song, final verse

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner held a press conference discussing the veto by President Bush of the farm bill. I promised some audio, and here it is. Nothing really too surprising from the press conference; the Administration knows they have an uphill climb to sustain the video, and Conner objected again to the lack of reform and potentially much higher federal outlays if commodity prices swoon.



Reaction from the office of Sen. Tom Harkin:

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement in response to President Bush’s veto of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act today. Harkin is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and of the Senate-House conference committee on the new farm bill.
“Today, right now in America, farm families and rural communities are awaiting a new farm bill. Working families are struggling to put food on the table because of recession and rising food prices. Today in America farmers and ranchers lack the assistance they need to conserve resources and provide a cleaner environment. Production is increasing at such a rapid pace that our lands are eroding and the strain on the environment is increasing. And today in America energy costs are off the charts with drivers in some areas paying over $4.00 a gallon for gas and farmers around the country seeing their diesel costs increase substantially. The Food, Conservation and Energy Act – or more commonly, the farm bill – was aptly named to address each of these concerns.
“The bill continues, reforms and strengthens income protection for the benefit of farm families and the rural economy. The nutrition title strengthens food assistance. The energy provisions in the farm bill will help unleash the potential of agriculture and rural communities to supply energy to our nation. And the new bill will help farmers and ranchers with funds and technical assistance to conserve soil, improve water quality and boost wildlife on their land.
“With all of these critical investments and reforms in this bill that have won support from both parties, from every region of the country, and from rural and urban members of Congress alike, the president’s veto of this measure is an attempt to deny America these forward-looking initiatives at a time when the country needs them the most.”