Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and a group of Republican Senators and House members met at the White House tonight with Office of Management and Budget Director Mitch Daniels, Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and the President's Domestic Policy Advisor Josh Bolton to discuss the Farm Bill. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) also attended.

During the meeting, Administration officials again affirmed the President's commitment to getting a good farm bill and to maintaining the $73.5 billion in funding provided in the fiscal year 2001 budget resolution.

"This was an important meeting. The President is committed to making this happen. The Senate will take up the farm bill again when we return from the holiday recess. It's critical that we do this right. We will have the necessary funding. But throwing money at a bad farm bill will only make the problems of concentration, low prices and inflated land values worse. We need to get a farm bill that corrects the problems with the current law, helps the small and medium-sized farmers, promotes trade and ensures a solid future for American agriculture. The commitments made by the White House today will help us achieve that goal," said Hagel.