[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 122 (Friday, July 27, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H8747]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             THE FARM BILL

  (Mr. ETHERIDGE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, later this morning the House will take up 
the farm bill, H.R. 2419, and let me just share a couple of quotes, one 
from the American Farm Bureau:
  ``The farm bill is one of our highest priorities. We understand there 
may be a motion to recommit the bill back to the House Committee on 
Agriculture. We urge you to oppose this amendment. Without the 
additional almost $4 billion in offsets, we cannot adequately fund the 
nutrition needs in the farm bill.'' This is signed by the president of 
the American Farm Bureau Federation.
  And from 24 different commodity groups that affect labor and 
commodities in America:
  ``Dear Members of Congress, we support both the underlying farm bill 
and the additional nutrition spending which gives rise to the need for 
an offset. For that reason we appreciate the efforts of Members of 
Congress who have attempted to identify that offset and we would 
encourage those who are concerned about the offset identified by the 
Committee on Ways and Means to support H.R. 2419 despite those 
concerns.
  ``In any event, we urge the House to move expeditiously to pass H.R. 
2419. We remain hopeful that the long congressional tradition of 
passing farm bills on a bipartisan fashion will not be broken.'' And it 
is signed by 24 groups from the American Soybean Association through 
the U.S. Rice Producers Association.
       American Soybean Association
       American Sugar Alliance
       Arkansas Rice Growers Association
       Missouri Rice Research and Merchandising Council
       National Association of Wheat Growers
       National Barley Growers Association
       National Cotton Council
       National Farmers Organization
       National Farmers Union
       National Sorghum Producers
       National Sunflower Association
       North Carolina Peanut Growers Association
       Oklahoma Peanut Commission
       Panhandle Peanut Growers Association
       South Carolina Peanut Growers Association
       Southern Peanut Farmers Federation
       Texas Peanut Producers Association
       Texas Peanut Producers Board
       Western Peanut Growers
       United Egg Producers
       USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council
       USA Rice Federation
       US Canola Association
       US Rice Producers Association

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