05/04/06 Kempthorne hearing; DC gridlock

Governor Dirk Kempthorne will face questioning in Washington today at his confirmation hearing to become the next Secretary of the Interior. Senator Larry Craig doesn't believe there's a problem in the Senate with the Kempthorne nomination. If that's true its one of the few things Senators would agree on this year. Washington DC lobbyist Bill Lesher told ag reporters this week he's not blaming Republicans or Democrats but. LESHER "It's the most poisonous I've seen since I started working in Washington since 1977. Its just that the House and Senate are so evenly split almost that neither party wants to let the other get an edge up to get anything down and so there's stalemate." Lesher represents companies like Swift and Monsanto. Then there's the major issue of the day, immigration reform. Lesher doesn't believe the House and Senate will work out their differences and that means no reform bill prior to the November election. LESHER "The sentiment in the country is close down the borders and kick 'em out, I mean in general but for agriculture we depend on immigrant labor so much that we do not take that attitude and its unpopular though." If there's no significant conclusion to the trade round by this fall Lesher predicts that Congress will extend the 2002 Farm Bill for one more year and along with it our trade promotion authority. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott