Farm bill deal could come today

A deal on the $1 trillion 2013 farm bill could come Thursday.

The four lead negotiators on the farm subsidies and food stamp measure met late Wednesday and emerged optimistic.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and House Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) told The Hagstrom Report a deal could be close at hand. 

Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) said there would be huge push to finish a draft framework for the bill on Thursday and if leaders did not finish, they could stay in town once recess begins.

Members said that food stamps remains the biggest sticking point in the bill but Republicans are increasingly signalling they will seek far less than the $39 billion in cuts they have sought if they can keep some kind of new work requirements in place.