for those of you here in 2008 who voted for the farm bill, the c.s.p. program in the house bill had zero dollars, yes, zero dollars when it left the house. in the just-passed ag committee farm bill, we limit c.s.p. to nine million acres. i greatly respect the conservation community, but to hear them say we are destroying conservation programs could not be farther from the truth. you also hear people complain that this isn't the full farm bill. my priority remains to get a five-year farm bill on the books and to put those policies into place. but the most pressing brings before us -- pressing business before us today is to provide disaster assistance to those producers impacted by drought conditions who are currently exposed. it is as simple as that. there is a problem out there. let's fix it. now let me address the farm bill that my colleagues seem to either love or hate or love to hate or hate to love. the bill is not perfect. no legislation is. now, we can spend our time trying to chip at the federal deficit $1 million at a time coming down to the floo

be coming up for a vote sue but it's one that congress seems to keep putting off it's called the farm bill and is restructured and renewed every five years far from a simple bill to help farmers the bill is all encompassing and deals with everything from food to biofuels to food stamps and as our to correspondent christine reports there's a growing concern that powerful lobbying interests will have a major impact on the future of food in the country. for those facing hard times places like this do still exist in most major cities washington d.c. included and the need is growing exponentially since two thousand and eight there has been a twenty five percent increase the number of families saying your citizens who need our food assistance the capital area food bank provides food to organizations who distribute it to those in need many part of the supplemental nutrition assistance program or snap formerly known as food stamps it's a program facing extreme cuts in the upcoming farm bill at snap a skirt a person literally that's getting less let's say one hundred dollars the snap could have the

they did not get a farm bill done. disaster relief for livestock producers expired in the 2008 farm bill. i would like to get an idea of what is being done to address this. >> first and foremost, we are trying to use as many tools as are available to the usda to provide help and assistance until congress gets back to work. hopefully they will pass a farm bill and we will include in that comprehensive disaster assistance for livestock operators and specialty car producers. -- specialty crop producers. the access to hay and grazing opportunities are important. we have an open breach of we of opened up lance and allocated -- we have opened up lands and made acres available. we have created an opportunity for for hay to be sold. that is one thing we have done, specifically. we are looking at other options and other opportunities and over the course of the next few weeks, we will make some additional announcements. the best way we can help these livestock producers is by passage of a farm bill which includes comprehensive d

grain companies for -- a green companies for export subsidies, but has also restored we been in the farm billnd is called farm subsidy, you know, the export support. i wonder if you can give me that members on that. guest: i do not have the numbers in front of me, but that is another issue. exports are a hot button issue this year politically. host: one more from the newport herald. they write up the farm bill and the drought has fallen to political party -- partisanship. not a lot of hope out there. guest: and can you blame people? it seems congress is more divided than ever. we have been covering -- people like me have been covering this city for decades. people who pride themselves on working together are hitting the road. it does not give a lot of optimism out there. that is why we see a lot of editorials for calling on people to get things done. host: even if it is a one-year extension, let's say, plus the political season, do you expect a lot of turnover because of this one issue? guest: it is hard to say. in these hot button places, this is a huge issue. you mentioned agriculture is ou

past their versions of a farm bill with bipartisan support, but it's sitting there. what's happening? >> it couldn't get through because they couldn't get a vote past. i should be in washington right now along the every other member of congress voting on this farm bill. at the farm of mr. newsom in columbus, indiana a few weeks ago, it was 106 degrees. you could see the tcorn wilting before your eyes. and this is one of the most painful disasters they have ever dealt with. and here we are in congress, we can't even get a vote on this. all we ask is for a vote. an up or down vote. >> you served on the agriculture committee the last time the farm bill was passed before there was a tea party, which we'll talk about them in a second. so, how different was that political climate? compare to me back then what you are experiencing this time when you were trying to get it done pretty much in a crisis mode. >> sure. in 2007, when i served on the ag committee, we pass ed the bill, got it to the floor. overwhelming votes in committee and on the floor. this year, there was anoth

the senate opt ed not to pick up tht measure because they are waiting on an agreement on a broader farm bill heartland, a lot of farmers and people in the farm bureau who may not be following the particulars of the legislative dynamics know there's no farm bill and no relief. >> like minnesota and missouri and so many other states. there's also this bus tour, the president now in iowa today. the president, as you know, announcing the government's plan to buy some $170 million worth of food to try to help these suffering farmers. is this issue going to make it up into the presidential debate when it comes to november? >> well, you know, the farm bill represents a lot of the die nyns and a lot of the fights that have been happening in congress this entire year. there's the dynamic of republicans wanting to cut more from spending that has been cut from some of the bills that were usually bipartisan in years and democrats pushing up against this. this farm bill represents the inherent argument on everything that has to do with the economy. in that sense, it's a huge choice for voters in every as

really have to pages in its newly released report cultivating influence the two thousand and eight farm bill lobbying frenzy food and water watch breaks down the forces behind the ingredients of the bill an example of too many cooks in the kitchen over the course of the bait of the two thousand and eight farm bill over a thousand and companies trade associations groups lobbied they spend one hundred seventy three million dollars was our calculation so who has the greatest influence when it comes to setting food policy in the united states many experts say it's actually wal-mart they've got nearly four thousand stores across this country many of them super centers and in just the last fifteen years have gone from about six percent to twenty five percent of total. grocery sale that means not just more profit but much much more power other major lobbying influences include monsanto kraft foods the american sugar alliance and the national restaurant association whose money speaks louder than those who receive help from places like this. the great need by people has resulted in food banks needing

republicans passed a farm bill. they passed a five-year farm bill something they say will bring down the deficit over the long-term even though it will spend a lot of money up front. and house republicans they don't want to spend money on anything. the best thing republicans can do on the hill is keep their heads down and let barack obama and mitt romney be the focus of american political talk. gwen: even with that action, we didn't expect a lot to happen. but i was is surprised with the things they didn't do especially with the drought. >> everyone's punting. there's this idea that this lame duck session after the election between the next congress there's going to be a furious work period -- gwen: anyone ever seen that happen? >> in the last lame duck is when they extended the bush tax cuts. there's this trend in politics that congress can't act unless there's a real threat whether it be defaulting, shutdown, that we need some real consequence to force their hand. and chairman lucas the farm bill chairman said go

, the inability of this farm bill, it's actually split folks inside the republican party. but there is so much intangible for mitt romney the candidate that you sit there and you say to yourself okay, the risk/reward, they're well aware of the risks. they believe we are going to have to deal with these risks anyway. is the reward good enough, meaning it made romney a better candidate, it's giving him more definition, i think that's what's unclear. but boy, hearing the president do that, i went wow, forget medicare. >> we've got a game plan. >> we know what they will try to do. >> before we totally forget medicare, let's take a look at some headlines in florida today. the headlines for the last couple days in florida, chris cillizza, florida so important and there is mitt romney trying to prebut the attacks that are sure to come in full force on medicare, medicare cuts. >> no question. you know, paul ryan going to florida this weekend, the ryan/romney folks saying this is a sign of them playing offense on the issue of medicare to which i say absolutely, it's probably the ri

the farm bill is where we start tonight, with reporter daniel newhauser.covers congress for "roll call." thank you for being here. >> thank you. with such a clear need out there, why didn't congress get this done on the farm bill? >> well, the major problem with it is that 80% of this bill funds the supplemental nutrition systems program known as food stamps. >> 80%? that is $400 billion. the house bill cuts $16 billion and that is too much for democrats and not enough for conservative republicans who want to cut more when this gets to the floor. i've been told by republican aides that if they brought this thing to the floor, the fight, the rift among the republicans would be so devastate to go would hurt them electorally because it's so close to the election in november. >> you are saying -- tell us about the division among republicans over this. >> sure. basically it is a matter of philosophy. they do not agree with food stamps. they want to cut $30 billion. but the leaders knew that they could not cut that much in the original bill --. >> the republican

i would include the farm bill in that effort. they've taken a five-week recess, and i think they're going to hear from folks back home that they need to get this work done. why do they need to get it done? it promotes trade. it increases research opportunities and supports local and regional food systems. it's vital and important that it get done. if it doesn't get done before september 30th, the risk is it then gets tied into the tax cut and tax policy discussion and may end up with agriculture doing more than its fair share for deficit reduction. >> that's a great point. mr. secretary, good to have you on the program. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> thank you, secretary tom vilsack. >>> up next on "the wall street journal report," academy award winner goldie hawn is known for films like "private benjamin" and "the first wives club. "is she playing a new role now away from hollywood? you bet. >> it's going to be a big revolution in how we deal with our children. i love what i'm doing. in here, every powerful collaboration is ba

after all, the farm bill is traditionally one of the most bipartisan things we do around here. in a statement regarding the underlying bill, a broad-based coalition of farm organizations said that they would support finding a path forward to reaching an agreement on a new five-year farm bill, before the current program expires on september 30. they go on to say that we are disappointed that the house republican leadership has decided not to move forward with the house agricultural committee's bill before adjourning for the august recess. that bill would have provided disaster relief for our farms and ranch families needed at this time. those organizations are among them, the american farm bureau federation, the national corn growers association, the national farmers union, the national milk producers association, united fresh produce, and western growers. to mention but a few. now, member, we have a chance to take a stand. are you for regular order or for political messaging. are you for doing our work or kicking the can down the road? should we take up a comprehensive farm bill

areas. >> unfortunately, right now, too many members of congress are blocking the farm bill from becoming law. [ audience boos ] i am told that governor romney's new running mate, paul ryan, might be around iowa the next few days. he is one of the leaders of congress standing in the way, so if you happen to see congressman ryan, tell him how important this farm bill is to iowa and our rural communities. >> agriculture department officials say corn production for 2012 to 2013 will likely plunge to a six-year low. last friday, corn futures hit a record high, $8.49 per bushel. >>> u.s. internet giant google is cutting 4,000 jobs at its recently acquired subsidiary motorola mobility. that's 20% of all staff at the telecom's equipment maker. google officials made the announcement in a document submitted to the u.s. securities and exchange commission. google will also restructure one-third of motorola locations worldwide by closing or merging 30 facilities. google executives say the payroll cut is aimed at row focusing the company on on more profitable smartphone and tablet businesses. motorola

we need a farm bill.mes into play, 80% of the farm bill, most people don't know this, really is the newt tricks program. adam: right. >> the food stamp program. adam: bingo. >> there is a real question about the money being spent there. adam: there have been proposals to cut food stamps. can that be done without impacting or hurting people that need that assistance and yet bring the farm legislation into some kind of manageable budgetary control? >> well the key is, prioritizing the spending to make sure the most needy people get that. again you've got to find the right balance. it's tough give the national economic climate. again here in nebraska we're much better off. our unemployment rate's 4%. the ag economy has been strong. somehow the congress and president need to get together. we do need a farm bill to provide certainty for the future. adam: talk about certainty, i was reading farmers will plant winner wheat next couple weeks. they need the legislation in place to find out what kind of insurance t

you heard his comments on the drought saying he is urging congress to pass the farm bill.hat would be the best way to help farmers and ranchers, particularly in the state of iowa where he is making his campaign stop today. he also did briefly address his choice of paul ryan at least in term os the farm bill saying mr. ryan is one of the leaders in the president's words standing in the way of the farm bill. so, again, the president make campaign stop today as the election campaigns roll on right now. the drought of 2012 meantime has not only pushed corn prices to record highs. it may also be increasing price you pay at the pump. there's a certain amount of ethanol to be sold and the shortage is why the regular price of average gas has jumped 18 cents in the past two weeks. joe terranova, should we be paying attention to the story? >> i think you have to be paying attention to the story. there's been multiple reasons to continue the refinery as we talked about. i think that's the right trade, scott. i don't think it's to chase a lot of the agricultural story on the belief th

farm program proponents have spent to much time complaining about how most of the farm bill goes to nutritionarm subsides a barnacle on the freighter of snap assistance, using to go through the house. should farm payments be isolated in a stand alone bill i down it would come close to passing. we all know it. whining about how little money goes to farmer social s is counter productive. these head winds will only get stronger after congress gets back together and possible budget cuts will be draconian. send e-mails to united states farm bill or call. coming up in the next half hour how a historic drought convinced me to try on a new hat. the second half is coming up. it's almost hair cut time.how to get this today on u-s farm report... we take a look at the ongoing . >>> today on united states farm report. we take a look at the ongoing misery for livestock producers as the drought gets worse. >>> meet an asparagus grower helping disabled veterans. >>> and i look at the world of mainly head wear for farmers in summers like this one. >> united states farm report brought to you by the 2012 chevy.

the last farm bills have not been slam dunk was serious opposition mounted from opponents. this year the critics can demonstrate how well agriculture has been doing. record farm profits, record prices, things have been good down on the farm. wait, what about the drought. even that may not provoke as much sympathy as we think. as the vast majority of crop farmers -- this in some cases will actually mean high erin come than they expected this spring. after the huge under writing losses, insurance based program cost projections will increase watch. as far the happenless livestock sector, farm bills never really worried about them any way. there is a money problem or lack of it, budget hawks more and determined. the old method by sweetening the pot not an option and compromise is for sissies. even political leanings count procedure ductive. farmers overwhelmingly oppose youro called socialist president but the administration is their best hope of passing the farm bill. we have a bad, not good storm approaching. next week, i will explain why i think we shouldn't even worry about

he wants to slash food stamps in the farm bill by 18%. he wants to ban abortions even in the case of rape or incest. he wants to eliminate abortion care, even when the life of the mother is at risk. is that radical? he wants to defund planned parenthood. he even proposed giving legal rights to a fertilized egg, which would essentially outlaw abortion, iv fertilization and some forms of contraception, and of course, both ryan and romney promise to repeal the affordable care act. leaving millions of women uninsured and taking away their access to affordable care and all of those preventive clinics across america. i'm joined tonight bterry o'neal, president of the national organization for women. good to have you with us. when you see what paul ryan has actually done in the congress, what he believes in and what he is proposing, how dangerous is this for women in our society? >> well, you know, from young girls all the way to the very oldest women, paul ryan's vision for the united states is fiercely and harshly anti-female. you know, medica

that is why we need a farm bill passed to help with the assistance. >> and i know that last week thectations for food price inflation. so down the line, whatt is the impact here? will there be higher costs at the grocery store? on what shelves, would you say? >> well, here is the interesting thing, we may see lower prices, meat and poultry prices go lower for a period of time. then we expect to see them go higher for a bit next year. farmer's's onlget 40 cents for the food dollar, so even if the prices go up it shouldn't have that much impact on the food prices. as oil goes up you will be liable to see greater spikes in food. >> and yet, the price of corn up 50% since june, meat and poultry producers who use feed and corn for livevestoc are aing them to relax the mandates, saying this week that using fuel for food should be re-considered. so where do you stand on this? should we mandate the use of bio fuels when there is a drought? >> well, first of all i think it is important to note the tremendous gains taking place, the productivity. we have produced 2 billion bushels of corn, eve

and the reason we don't have a farm bill is the house republican congress are not in support of ey see it somehow as a give away. what's your message to them? senator grassley and amount of iowa senators support the grain bill, explain why you should -- >> the biggest problem a lot of people have is the massive expansion of the food stamp program. we have more feel on food stamps than ever before. they have liberalized the rules, and a lot of people think they need to tighten that up. president obama is trying to undo the work requirement. we think we need instead of putting more people on -- >> governor branstad, they haven't done that. they haven't undone the work requirements. i'm trying to understand the work requirements. you levelled a charge about the welfare work requirement, it turns out that's not true. where did you get your information? >> it absolutely is, i was one of the governors that helped get it and when we passed it, it was designed not to be waived and now the president of the united states by executive order in july weakened that. >> governor tommy thompson

farm bill is set to expire at the end of september. the house's drought bill is not expected to survive in the senate. legislation to prevent cyber attacks on critical industries will have to wait. senate republicans blocked a final vote today. they argued the bill would mean new regulations that increase costs without doing much to reduce the risk of attacks. democrats said the bill is needed now to protect everything from power grids to water supplies. both sides said they'll work on a compromise, after the august recess. afghan security forces killed five insurgents in a pre-dawn raid in kabul today. officials said they'd foiled a plot to launch a large-scale attack in the capital. the raiding party found cars full of explosives and a compound filled with weapons and ammunition at the site. when the insurgents returned, a gun battle erupted that lasted several hours. separately, two nato service members were killed in a bomb attack in the south. six coalition troops have died in the first two days of august. in egypt, a new prime min

you represent an agricultural the sins farm bill. could you lay out a road map on the reform bill and whether you have to get an extension? >> thank you for that question. if i go back and study the house i like to do that. farm bills and transportation bills. their five year bills. committee studies these and these other big items of the committee's. and the last amendments at 2:00 a.m.. you allow both sides to see what is in the. that is different from the last congress. i believe we will get the farm bill done and one thing i think has started working better between the house and senate is conferences. every time we go to conference we have gotten back out. not in a perfect time line but we have. same with transportation and faa. that is much different. what you will find today because democrats farm bill last time not deal with disaster and only took it to four years because they extended funding on other items. we have to fix that. this week we will deal with the disaster because of what has gone up there especially with cattle a

they decided to go home instead of passing a farm bill. political malpractice indeed.ust 3, this is the full court press coming to you live from our nation's capitol booming all across this great nation of ours. with the news of the day here in washington around the country and globe we'll tell you what's going on and take your call at 866-55-press. good to be back with you after a couple of days with my colleagues. we were meeting with the t.v. critics association at the beverly hilton hotel. chenk yger and others. >> you look tan. >> we were laying out by the pool, you know you go to los angeles, you've got to get in the sun. i didn't mind getting away for a couple of hands. i knew you were in good hands with peter. thank you for flying the ship the last couple of days. >> you wouldn't want me doing it anytime. >> you did a good job as always. i could see the show in los angeles. >> that's terrifying. i just assumed you weren't watching. >> well, not the whole three hours, but nobody does for the whole three hours. looked good and thank you so much for doing that. pe

the senate passed the farm bill in a strong bipartisan vote.ill. it takes leadership upon in terms of house leadership to get this thing on the floor and get it voted on and get the differences worked out. it can include a comprehensive -- hurting as a result of the drought. because prior to this drought, we actually had momentum building in the rural economy, rural manufacturing going up, record incomes and exports for farm products. we want to continue that momentum and we need certainty in terms of what the policies and programs are going to be. >> you're mentioning the house specifically. this is from kevin smith, spokesperson for house speaker john boehner. in his remarks today the president forgot to mention that senate dems refused to take up bipartisan house drought relief before add adjourning hash tag shocked. it true, mr. secretary? because the house passed, $383 million emergency relief package last week and the democrats in the senate refused to take it up before they went on vacation. so will this $30 million relief be enough? who