Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Senate Passage of the Farm Bill

December 14, 2007 -- Washington, DC – “Today the Senate passed a farm bill that will provide a safety net for America’s farmers, bolster critical nutrition programs, encourage conservation of our natural resources, increase renewable energy, and provide economic development tools to rural America.

I applaud Senator Harkin for his leadership in moving the farm bill through his committee and the full Senate. I am disappointed that we did not succeed in lowering payment limits to better target commodity programs to family farms. But I am pleased that the bill reflects some of my legislative proposals and many of my priorities, including a National Rural Broadband Strategy, policies to strengthen mandatory country of origin labeling, and improvements to nutrition programs to expand markets for farmers and get nutritious foods to underserved areas.

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I urge President Bush to retract his veto threat and work with Congress to get this vital legislation done as soon as possible.”

Source: Senator Hillary Clinton