Wednesday, May 21, 2008 -For Immediate Release: (WASHINGTON, D.C.) U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Ranking Republican Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today released the following statement after President Bush vetoed the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, which passed in the Senate last week by a vote of 81-15:
“I am deeply disappointed that the President has accepted the imprudent counsel of his advisors and has rejected the farm bill which Congress approved by unprecedented margins. In any bill of this magnitude all parties must accept some compromise. Not only does our plan move in the direction of what the Administration requested, but it also contains many provisions they proposed last spring.
“Unfortunately, the veto will prevent the implementation of all the improvements and reforms included in this farm bill. Conditions have dramatically changed since the passage of the 2002 farm bill and our nation can not afford to operate under an extension of current law for another year. We have crafted a bipartisan and fiscally responsible farm bill and it should become law. Our farmers and ranchers have waited too long for a new farm bill and I will urge my colleagues to over ride the veto.â€
Contact: Erin Hamm – Tel: (202) 224-4728
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