Harkin blasts Bush veto of farm bill

By MATT MILNER Courier staff writer

May 22, 2008 12:07 am

— WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Tom Harkin blasted President Bush for using a “doomsday scenario” in his decision Wednesday to veto the federal Farm Bill.
Harkin told members of the media, including the Courier, that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi planned to call a veto override vote later Wednesday afternoon. He expressed hope the Senate would do the same later in the day, but said it could be today before that vote actually took place.
Bush said he vetoed the bill because it was filled with election-year pork spending. Harkin rejected that claim, pointing to the wide margins that passed the bill in both the House and the Senate.
“You can’t get much more bipartisan than 318 votes in the House and 81 votes in the Senate,” Harkin said.
Both margins are well over the two-thirds majorities needed to override a veto. That led most pundits to immediately predict the farm bill would become the second Bush veto to be rejected by the Congress.
Harkin, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said Congress repeatedly tried to negotiate with the White House. He blamed Bush for the failure of those attempts. Shifting standards left legislators with little choice than to negotiate among themselves and leave the administration on the sidelines.
“Every time we tried to negotiate, the goal posts moved,” he said.
While Bush called the bill bloated, Harkin pointed to increases in funding for energy, soil and water conservation, access to farmers’ markets and money to help farmers shift to organic practices. He argued that money will help farmers better connect with their customers, boosting their incomes and the nation’s food supplies.
Harkin conceded that the farm bill does increase the amount of money involved, but said it does not go to farmers who run profitable operations. He contrasted that with the current farm bill, which he said Bush wants to continue.
“There’s not one dollar, one new dollar, for a farmer who’s making money,” Harkin said. “The emperor has no clothes on this one.”
With an override likely, it will fall to the administration to implement a law it tried to block. Harkin isn’t worried about the administration dragging its feet or trying to change things. They don’t have the time, he said. The farm bill goes into effect as soon as the override vote goes through and the administration has only seven more months in office.
Harkin also threatened to haul administration officials, including Office of Management and Budget Director Jim Nussle, in front of the Senate Agriculture Committee if they balk at it.
“I’m the chairman, and by gosh I’ll have some hearings this summer to see how they’re implementing this thing.”
Matt Milner can be reached at (641) 683-5359 or via e-mail at mwmilner@mchsi.com

Photos