1. AGRICULTURE:
Key lawmakers offer farm bill as a chit in fiscal cliff talks
Congressional agriculture leaders are urging the White House to include the farm bill in negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" as the clock ticks down on the lame-duck session. Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said yesterday that she's talked to both the administration and fellow senators about such a strategy and that she has the support of ranking member Pat Roberts (R-Kan.). There are more than $23 billion in cuts in the Senate-passed bill that Stabenow said could provide offsets in a deal to address the fiscal cliff.