Congress Daily | December 6, 2001 | By Jerry Hagstrom
The Senate began debate Wednesday on a farm bill proposed by Senate Agriculture Chairman Harkin, amid Bush administration objections to Harkin's bill and support for an alternative by Republicans.
The debate began following broad Senate support for cloture on a motion to proceed to the bill.
Senate Budget Chairman Conrad, an Agriculture Committee member, said he was pleased with Wednesday's 76-23 vote on cloture. However, Republicans had not indicated late Wednesday how much of the 30 hours of allotted debate they planned to use.
"If they go into a full court stall, they'll make a big, big mistake," Conrad said.
The Senate is scheduled to take a break from the farm bill debate at noon today to consider the FY02 Defense appropriations bill.
Responding to an earlier OMB statement opposing the bill, Conrad said he thinks the statement of administration policy "missed the point," because it emphasized reducing U.S. agricultural subsidies at a time when the European Union subsidizes so much more.
Conrad also said he considers the Bush administration opposition to country-of-origin labeling of red meat, fish and vegetables "just bizarre," because consumers are demanding more labeling.
Meanwhile, the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, which represents environmentally minded small farmers throughout the country, asked its members late Tuesday to call their senators to oppose the commodity title amendment by Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.
The group also is opposing other amendments they say would damage small farmers.
The group urged its members to support an amendment by Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., to restrict the size of operations eligible for funding under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
It also will back an amendment to be offered by Wellstone, Senate Finance ranking member Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sens. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., to ban packer ownership of livestock.
They plan to support an amendment by Harkin to authorize production contract oversight by the Grain Inspectors, Packers and Stockyards Administration and limited prohibition of confidentiality clauses in contracts.
The group also said Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., intends to offer an amendment to prohibit binding arbitration clauses in agricultural contracts, to help stem the tide of abusive contracts used by corporate agribusiness.Congress Daily:
