"And for you and the department to arbitrarily go against the wishes and the intent of Congress is a serious --- It is what Shakespeare said when he referred to, 'And to Brutus, yours was the meanest cut of all' --- that's what this has done. That's why you have heard the passion, the disappointment that was registered by both sides of the aisle against this proposed rule."
Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., said that the proposed rules would become a “lawyer’s field day to sue,” and several members questioned how the USDA would interpret the ban on packer-to-packer sales, pointing out that some small packers own feedlots of hog operations several states away from their packing plants.