RENEE MONTAGNE, Host: NPR's Brian Naylor has more.</s>BRIAN NAYLOR: Congress has been locked up in negotiations over the Farm Bill for months, every so often passing an extension of the current law to give the negotiators a bit more time. The latest one week overtime period was approved yesterday. The top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, said one more week probably won't be enough, but that negotiators are making progress. Really.</s>SAXBY CHAMBLISS: We are very close, and I think there is the opportunity to get this done. And it's not going to be done - completed within the next week, but I have no problem with a one week extension because I do think that it will keep the pressure on, and it will require us to ultimately get something done.</s>BRIAN NAYLOR: That didn't go over well with the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin.</s>TOM HARKIN: The president is not doing us any favors by the White House issuing a statement that we should have a one-year extension.</s>BRIAN NAYLOR: Harkin says a one-year extension of the current law will short change low income Americans who rely on food stamps and other nutrition programs which comprise the biggest part of the Farm Bill.</s>TOM HARKIN: Low-income people are hurting in this country. Well, with a one year extension, we give no relief at all to low income families.</s>BRIAN NAYLOR: Brian Naylor, NPR News, the Capitol.
Congress approved another one-week extension to the current farm law Thursday to give legislators more time to negotiate a new five-year program. Debate over the new program is stalled, and the White House has suggested the alternative of extending the current farm laws for another year.