Farm-state senators continue push for disaster aid

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By MARY CLARE JALONICK / The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Farm state members of Congress say they hope an upcoming war spending bill will be an opportunity to secure billions of dollars in agricultural disaster aid.

They say it won’t be easy.

Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., have been leading the effort to pay farmers for losses due to drought, flooding and other disasters. Farmers in Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming and several Midwestern states have been suffering from weather-related losses, including a drought that hit many areas hard over the past few years.

Members of Congress from those states have tried several times to move the aid, but have yet to overcome opposition from the White House and conservative Republicans who think it is too expensive.

Dorgan said he will attempt to attach the money to an upcoming bill that would provide $100 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which will consider the war spending legislation.

Conrad already has introduced a bill that would pay farmers $4.9 billion for 2005 and 2006 losses, though the legislation might look slightly different when Dorgan introduces it as an amendment to the war spending bill.

President Bush requested the war money Friday and Congress is expected to consider the request in the coming month.

Rep. Stephanie Herseth, D-S.D., said members of the House are planning a similar strategy. There is no disaster bill introduced in that chamber, but Herseth said farm-state members are working to persuade House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other leaders to include the language in the original version of the war spending bill.

Herseth said the dynamic has changed now that Democrats control the House. Republican leaders of that chamber, along with President Bush, strongly opposed the disaster aid.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said he would rather see the legislation come up as a stand-alone bill.

“I support obtaining drought relief however we can get it, but the responsible approach would be for the Democrat leadership to allow us to vote on the (legislation) rather than attach it to the emergency war supplemental spending bill,” he said.

Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., said she supports attaching the money to the war bill.

“With all the billions of dollars we have sent to victims of other natural disasters, there is absolutely no reason that folks out west should have to struggle to receive assistance,” she said.

Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., said he also is hoping the aid moves quickly.

Conrad, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said it will be difficult to move the money through Congress as budget pressures increase.

“This is not going to be easy in this environment,” he said, adding that increasing war spending is a major obstacle.

“It’s a runaway train,” he said. “It is hurting our ability to get funding for anything, including disaster aid.”

The farm state lawmakers made several attempts to secure the money last year, but each ended in disappointment. That happened again last week, when Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., tried unsuccessfully to include $3.3 billion for farm disaster aid in a massive House spending bill.

“We have had high hopes,” said Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D. “It’s getting close to time where we say ’show me the money.“’

He said he hopes Pelosi and other Democrats who expressed support for the money last year will maintain that position now that they are in charge.

“We had commitment from the then-minority leaders,” he said. “Now that they are in the majority, we feel strongly that they need to deliver.”