05/08/07 What next for ag disaster assistance?

Farm and Ranch May 8, 2007 The emergency funding for the Iraq war that President Bush vetoed also included 3.5 billion dollars in disaster assistance for farmers and ranchers. As Democratic leaders in Congress work to come up with a new war funding bill will it again include disaster aid for agriculture? Late last week House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson told reporters he didn't have an answer to that question. Peterson: "I wish I could give you an answer but really can't I don't know if anybody knows where that is at at this point. There are discussions going on between the President and the leadership, I assume mostly about the military part of it." If there is an obstacle to keeping agricultural disaster aid in the emergency war funding bill Peterson says it's the President. Peterson: "The President is still saying he would veto the bill over that. He has made those statements in the past. I am not sure where he is today on that but I think it is pretty clear he is the biggest problem for disaster assistance staying as part of the bill." Peterson has said the war funding bill is probably the last chance for disaster aid because it is an emergency spending bill which does not require offsets. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.