House Passes Short-Term Farm Bill Extension

Statement

House Passes Short-Term Farm Bill Extension

Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.R. 5578, a bill to extend the 2002 Farm Bill through April 18, 2008.

The short-term extension, passed last night, is the second time Congress has had to extend the Farm Bill, which would otherwise expire this Saturday, March 15, and originally was due to expire in September of last year.

"While I'm glad we were able to avoid the expiration of the Farm Bill - which would have reverted us back to policies from the 1940s - I remain frustrated with the fact agriculture producers in my district and throughout the country are still facing weeks of uncertainty as we continue to work through the Farm Bill.

"This is exactly the type of piece-meal approach I didn't want to see, which is why I cosponsored legislation extending the Farm Bill for an entire year, rather than a few weeks at a time. I still am committed to seeing a workable, responsible Farm Bill signed into law and I look forward to working with my colleagues to see this happen," Smith said.

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