and niels lesniewski is a reporter for "roll call." >> you worked very hard on the farm bill. it was not included in the fiscal cliff bill. they not include the extension that you wanted and that you had worked out with congressman lucas. what do you feel was lost by not including either the farm bill or the extension that you wanted? >> the most important thing is what you said in terms of the house. we passed a bill, as you know, back in june, strong bipartisan effort, deficit reduction of $24 billion altogether, reforms that were needed, did away with government subsidies that did not make sense. we sent it to the house. we were very close on the full bill. to my sheer surprise and shock, the house never took it up. i have never seen that before in my life, where the speaker of the house would not think that the 16 million people that work in agriculture across america were not important enough to bring a five-year farm bill to the floor. that was the worst part of all of this. it creates the situation of trying to figure out how we go around the house that will not take up

is back with niels lesniewski and jerry hagstrom. we just missed talking to the chair of the senate agriculture committee, senator debbie stabenow -- we just finished talking to the chair of the senate agriculture committee, debbie stabenow. she described this effort as very bipartisan and deficit--- and deficit cutting. >> it was bipartisan, but not by regional -- biregional. it did go through the senate did the big problem was the house and its unwillingness -- it did go through the senate. the big problem was the house and its unwillingness to take it up, primarily because there would have been such a debate over food stamps. the house says it does not have enough votes to pass it, and it is not clear if that is true or not. >> there will be a markup early in the new session. you askede senate is -- about the debt ceiling -- you asked about the debt ceiling which is first up when they come back. how does the politics of the house to address the debt figure in to politics and the farm bill? >> the theory that leaders were operating

host: niels lesniewski, thank you so much for giving us a preview of the upcoming week on capitol hill: thank you. host: we are continuing this subject of gun violence in the media, movies and television, getting your thoughts for the next 25 minutes or so here on "washington journal." corpus christi, arthur, texas. your thoughts on the responsibility of those industries to respond to the mass shooting in new town? caller: i do not think a lot can be done. as far as industry is concerned. people pretty well get what they want. as far as children's exposure, you know, that has to start in the home. my mother was an elementary school counselor for 33 years. people talk about how kids have problems learning and all of that stuff. the parents want them used as an example. parents basically want the schools to raise the kids and it does not work. kids need a good, you know, stable home to grow up in so that they can learn and be taught different values, good values. as far as this gun business, you know, guns are not going to go away. we have always had guns. if another shooting happened to

host: niels lesniewski, thank you so much for giving us a preview of the upcoming week on capitol hillcaller: thank you. host: we are continuing this subject of gun violence in the media, movies and television, getting your thoughts for the next 25 minutes or so here on "washington journal." corpus christi, arthur, texas. your thoughts on the responsibility of those industries to respond to the mass shooting in new town? caller: i do not think a lot can be done. as far as industry is concerned. people pretty well get what they want. exposure,children's you know, that has to start in the home. my mother was an elementary school counselor for 33 years. people talk about how kids have problems learning and all of that stuff. the parents want them used as an example. parents basically want the schools to raise the kids and it does not work. kids need a good, you know, stable home to grow up in so that they can learn and be taught different values, good values. as far as this gun business, you know, guns are not going to go away. we have always had guns. if another shooting happened tomorro