if I might, I am not sure if we have anyone in opposition. I rise in strong support of this amendment. We know that there are Members who wanted the opportunity to vote and record a ``no'' vote. I hope that since we passed this by a voice…

I rise to oppose my colleague's amendment. The reality for us is that American agricultural exports is one of the few places where we have a trade surplus right now, and we want to continue that. The current program the Senator is speaking…

let me take just 1 second to say that this bill turns us in a different direction--$23 billion-plus in deficit reduction. It may be the only bipartisan deficit reduction proposal we will pass in the Senate before the election. I urge a…

just for the information of the Senate, Senator DeMint's amendment was next, but we have not seen him on the floor yet. So we moved to this amendment. As soon as he arrives, we will return to the DeMint amendment. It is my understanding…

I am sorry, Mr. President. We were in discussions. At this moment if we might just pause, we will just object for a moment. I object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.

We are now told that this has been reviewed, and so we have no objection to proceeding to it. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arkansas. Amendment No. 2360, as Modified

I call up my amendment 2453 and ask unanimous consent to add Senator Snowe as a cosponsor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Michigan…

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To provide assistance for certain losses) On page 1006, between…

This amendment simply addresses what has happened with severe and devastating freezes across the country for those who have food crops and don't have access to crop insurance. This Farm Bill makes great strides in expanding crop insurance…

I am not yielding time in opposition. I commend Senator Warner and everyone on this amendment for their tremendous amount of work. It makes a tremendous amount of sense. It is real reform. I believe we have an understanding to proceed with…

I commend Senator Carper. I have to say he has mentioned to me many times there are 300 chickens for every person in Delaware. I think I have that in my memory now. I commend him for his work. We are yielding back time, and we have agreed…

I thank the Senator for his leadership as chairman of our conservation subcommittee. I have been glad to work with the Senator on this legislation and I am committed to continuing to work with him on easement and forestry issues…

I thank my friend, the senior Senator from New Hampshire, for bringing attention to this important matter and for her incredible leadership on forestry issues. Since she was first sworn into the Senate, we have worked together on forest…

we have been hard at work to pull together some amendments we need to do in a vote. I ask unanimous consent the following amendments that are in order under the unanimous consent agreement be agreed to: Ayotte No. 2195, Blunt No. 2246…

It has. Like New Hampshire and Vermont, Michigan is heavily forested and this NRCS rule has impacted the ability of agricultural producers to purchase on their working lands. I would like to clarify that it is not the intent of Congress to…

That is exactly right. Once rural land is developed it rarely reverts back to agricultural uses, which is why Federal programs are such a critical part of giving farmers alternatives to converting their land to nonagricultural uses. Our…

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration en bloc of the following resolutions which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 500, S. Res. 501, and S. Res. 502. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it…

I rise to oppose the motion to recommit. After all the hard work we have been doing, I am not sure we want to do it twice this year on a farm bill. But on a more serious note, let me just indicate, again, these are major reforms, $23…

I support the amendment by the Senator from Vermont and yield back time. It is my understanding that we will proceed to a voice vote. The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time is yielded back. The question is on agreeing to the amendment. The…

I ask unanimous consent that the adoption of Vitter amendment No. 2363, as modified, be vitiated; and further, that the Vitter amendment, as modified, be subject to a 60- affirmative-vote threshold. I turn now to Senator Vitter. The…

I would support the yeas and nays and just strongly urge a ``yes'' vote on the Thune amendment.

I ask that we take this as a voice vote. We have an agreement to proceed to do that. The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate on the amendment, the question is on agreeing to the amendment. The amendment (No. 2340) was agreed…

I ask unanimous consent the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the resolutions be printed in…

on behalf of the ranking member and myself, I yield back the time. It is my understanding that we may proceed with a voice vote on this amendment. The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the question is on agreeing to the…

I would urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment that would prohibit the zero cost check-off programs. These programs are funded by the private industry, not taxpayers. They are incredibly beneficial to farmers and businesses who want…