On October 21, after much debate and political wrangling, Congress passed and the President signed into law the $500 billion Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act of 1999. Central to the budget debate: how to help U.S. farmers during a time of economic stress due to crop disasters and low commodity prices. Producers have been faced with a substantial drop in net farm income as a result of the agricultural situation in recent months.