09/08/06 Congress Not Taking On Ag Issues

Congress not handling ag issues. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Ag and most other domestic spending issues will now have to take a back seat to defense and national security issues in the run-up to the November elections. Those appear to be the issues of GOP focus in the weeks remaining before very competitive elections. And that's why National Corn Growers Association Vice President of Public Policy Jon Doggett says agricultural issues just won't be the focus in Congress during the next month. DOGGETT: We're just not seeing a Congress that is going to take up that kind of a bill right now. They're focused on other issues all of which revolve around getting re-elected. That means - according to Doggett - issues like comprehensive disaster aid and Cuba trade relief - included in the Senate Ag Appropriations bill - will have to wait until the November elections are over. DOGGETT: The Senate has been much more supportive of disaster legislation this year than has the house so I think that will then become the point at which there will be at least some measured amount of lively debate. And if the elections result in a change in leadership in either body. DOGGETT: If the chambers, either one of the chambers or both of the chambers change hands, I would say that then everything is up for negotiation. It's a whole new ballgame at that point. Possibly - Doggett says - forcing a lame duck Congress to put off most major spending decisions until February of 2007 when the newly-elected Congress is in full-swing. And if that's when disaster aid resurfaces - Doggett says NCGA will support it - but only for those producers who have suffered loss as a result of disasters. DOGGETT: We would be very supportive of seeing a disaster bill. We also would like to see a disaster bill that would actually go ahead and take care of the folks who actually have a disaster. Doggett says it will be interesting to see if a change in power would ease White House opposition to paying for disaster aid off-budget with emergency spending. So far - the Administration has insisted that ag disasters be paid through farm bill savings. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.