Congress, White House at odds over farm bill

Farm-state lawmakers say tough congressional negotiations lie ahead for the five-year farm bill, mostly due to strong White House opposition to the $286 billion legislation.

Members of the House and Senate agriculture committees say two issues stand out above the others as Congress tries to hammer out a deal: how the bill will be paid for and how much the legislation will limit federal farm subsidies to wealthy farmers.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., said he has had at least seven meetings with Acting Agriculture Secretary Charles Conner since the Senate passed its version of the bill in December. The House passed its bill in July.

Those negotiations have not gone very well, Peterson said. The White House has threatened to veto both versions of the legislation.

"They are being pretty inflexible," he said.

At issue are tax provisions added to both versions of the bill that are intended to raise additional money for farm programs. The Bush administration says the bills use funding gimmicks and tax increases to supplement a farm economy that is already strong.