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Farm bill stalled in SenateWASHINGTON (AP)--Dakotas senators say they are frustrated over partisan bickering that has stalled the Senate farm bill. The Senate blocked the legislation Nov. 16 after Republicans and Democrats argued for almost two weeks over which amendments could be offered to the $286 billion bill on the Senate floor. Democrats fell five votes short of the 60 votes they needed to cut off debate on the measure, putting the bill's future in doubt. South Dakota Sen. John Thune was one of four Republicans who crossed party lines to vote with Democrats. He said he is frustrated that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, would not allow Republicans to offer many amendments to the bill, but the legislation is too important to his state to vote against it. "It's very good for South Dakota and I think we need to get it passed," he said after the vote. All three Democratic senators from the Dakotas--South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson and North Dakota Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan--voted with their party to move the bill forward. Conrad, one of the lead authors of the bill, said the two parties were in talks Nov. 16 to find a way to revive the legislation. Reid limited the number of amendments after some Republicans wanted to offer amendments dealing with taxes, immigration and other nonagricultural issues. "The vote today has clearly put pressure on the other side to come up with a reasonable list," Conrad said. Johnson said he has been talking to Reid regularly and he hopes the bill will move before the end of the year. "It's a great bill for the Northern plains," he said. "I'm afraid the Republicans have some explaining to do." Dorgan agreed, saying there needs to be more cooperation in the Senate. "It takes a reasonable amount of cooperation to get things done," Dorgan said. "We got no cooperation--I know the farmers are extremely frustrated watching this progress. They want Congress to make a decision one way or the other." All four senators said that they hope Congress can come to agreement on a new bill and avoid the need to extend the 2002 law indefinitely. An extension would be "unwise," Conrad said, because there might not be as much money around next year. The bill would greatly benefit farmers and ranchers in the Dakotas and other High Plains states. It would boost target prices and loan rates for a variety of crops grown in North Dakota and South Dakota--including wheat, barley, oats, soybeans and minor oilseeds--when prices are low. It would require country-of-origin labels on meats and other foods, a priority for Dakotas farmers who compete with Canadian cattle ranchers. And it would maintain much of the current subsidy system, which has treated Dakotas farmers well in recent years. Thune said he hopes his vote, along with that of the other Republicans who crossed party lines, will put a "sense of urgency" behind the bill. "What our vote signifies to the rest of the colleagues on our side is that we believe we need to get this done," Thune said. Date: 12/20/07
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