Patrick Leahy: “I wish we were not in the situation we are in. I would like to see a farm bill done in the normal course. In 1990, when…”

“I wish we were not in the situation we are in. I would like to see a farm bill done in the normal course. In 1990, when we did the Leahy-Lugar farm bill, it was a comprehensive package that blended the needs and interests of urban and rural America with the need to maintain and reclaim our environmental heritage as well as to provide the food and fiber needed in this country. We seem to be operating under a different situation. I hope that the final package we have here will have a bipartisan nature to it. The other body determined that they cannot do that. I believe we are different in this body, and I believe that we can. We have always approached farm legislation that way, and this is no different. As I approached the farm bill year, I asked myself the following question, and it is a question that I believe every Member in this body needs to ask him or herself. What is a farm bill? In 1996, a farm bill is no longer just about farm programs. It is not just about growing crops or amber waves of grain. The farm bill is about feeding the American people. It is about the elimination of hunger in one of the wealthiest nations in the world. The farm bill ensures that children do not go to bed hungry--at home and abroad. Congress created the world's most cost-efficient and effective nutrition programs. These programs are the lifeline for millions of Americans--especially children in need of Government assistance.”