05/15/08

WASHINGTON (AP) _ All six Pacific Northwest senators back the
wide-ranging farm bill that boosts farm subsidies and money for
food stamps to help the poor deal with rising grocery prices.

The bill also includes $170 million for the disaster-plagued
Pacific Coast salmon fishing industry.

The six senators from Oregon, Washington and Idaho all voted in
favor of the five-year, $290 billion bill, which now goes to
President Bush. Bush has threatened to veto the bill, calling it
overly expensive and tilted to wealthy farmers.

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said the money for salmon fisheries would
be a much-needed lifeline for communities and families up and down
the West Coast. He and other lawmakers said they would work with
the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission to help rebuild
salmon stocks and businesses that depend on them.

Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo said the bill will provide long-term
certainty for farm families as they continue to feed the world's
hungry.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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