Marilyn Musgrave: “I applaud your hard work on this farm bill and Chairman Peterson's. Every day we are reminded of our problems that we…”

“I applaud your hard work on this farm bill and Chairman Peterson's. Every day we are reminded of our problems that we are facing because we rely on foreign nations for our energy supply. I believe that Americans ought to think about what happened with the pet food issue and realize that we need a safe and reliable food supply. As we worked on this farm bill, we had demands from the Speaker of the House, we had demands from the White House. Serving in the minority there was the tension between my party and the other party in the Senate and the House. We had a great deal of difficulties to overcome. But I am proud today to say that I stand in support of this farm bill and urge my colleagues to join me in overriding this veto. This farm bill increases funding to food banks that are seeing more and more people come in, needy people. It increases that funding by $1.2 billion. The farm bill increases dollars for conservation programs that are so important in this Nation. The farm bill increases investment in alternative energy research. Americans want to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. When we are concerned at this time in our Nation about childhood obesity and diabetes, this farm bill increases dollars for nutrition programs for school children around the Nation. And, most importantly, it provides a safety net for rural America.”