Resolution Sought for Appropriations Bill

September 29, 1999

Senate and House negotiators were busy Tuesday seeking a resolution for the stalled appropriations bill. It appears the dairy provisions will be removed from consideration as well as a provision that would loosen slightly the U.S. trade restrictions with Cuba and other countries. Farmer emergency aid now totals $8.7 billion.

There were problems, however. Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), in a floor statement, read to the Senate a memo he'd received from a Republican staffer. The memo said Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) had signed off on a package deal on agricultural appropriations sent to him by House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL).

The memo then stated that the agricultural appropriations conference "will not convene...the conference is closed."

Said Dorgan with more than a hint of sarcasm, "Some bipartisan way to run a Congress." Dorgan's reaction may indicate Democratic opposition to closing down the conference so quickly and without members reconvening to consider the bill's various proposals. Joining Dorgan in expressing outrage was Sen. John Ashcroft (R-MO), the main sponsor of sanctions reform provisions that were left out of the final conference documents. Ashcroft hinted he would oppose the conference report and referred to a letter from the American Farm Bureau Federation that was highly critical of the omission of sanctions reform.

The increase in the price tag for farmer relief comes from an added $1.2 billion for disaster aid, considered inadequate by many in the agricultural community.

Leaving dairy out of the conference version may have been made easier by a federal judge's ruling in Vermont Tuesday. U.S. District Judge William Sessions III postponed USDA's implementation of the milk marketing order final rule that would have gone into effect on Friday (Oct. 1). The decision also keeps the Northeast Dairy Compact operating beyond its sunset date.

Making its way to the Senate was the House-passed bill to mandate a milk pricing scheme more preferable to many dairy producers than the one USDA included in its final rule. However, the so-called Option 1A which the House bill requires USDA to implement, doesn't help Upper Midwest producers much and may be subject to a filibuster on the Senate floor.

Also, the compact provisions, including one to authorize a massive compact across the southern tier of states, could be thrown into the pot on the pricing bill, making it even more controversial.