On May 15, forty-four U.S. Senators signed and delivered a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) urging an open debate on the Senate Farm Bill.   The Senate Farm Bill was voted out of Committee on April 26.

For an Agri-Pulse article discussing the letter, click here.  For a copy of the letter, click here.

The letter states, in part, that:

With our constant focus on job creation, we write to urge you to schedule floor consideration of the “Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012” as soon as possible. The bill takes steps to reduce the deficit and decrease government spending by $23 billion. It passed the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on April 26 with a bipartisan vote of 16 to 5. This sets an example of how Senators can come together in a bipartisan way to craft meaningful, yet fiscally responsible, policy. We believe there is strong support in the full Senate to consider the bill in a fair and open manner that allows Senators the opportunity to offer amendments.