On the recordNovember 30, 2012
It's been 141 days. That's how long it's been since the House Agriculture Committee, on a bipartisan basis, passed the farm bill by a vote of 35-11. That's the high watermark of bipartisanship in this Congress. It represents something that is too lacking in Washington today: a serious attempt at progress through bipartisan work. We need a farm bill. America needs a farm bill. Our farmers, our folks dependent on nutrition programs, our folks who are farming and want to conserve the land, they're entitled to have Congress act. You know, it's one thing to vote ``yes'' and it's one thing to vote ``no,'' but it is unacceptable not to vote at all. The decision on whether we will vote on a farm bill is up to the leadership. They owe it to each one of us so we can be accountable to the people we represent and give America a farm bill. There is absolutely no excuse for Congress to not even try to do its job, which will occur when a farm bill is brought to the floor. ____________________
