House bill would help citrus, spinach growers, salmon fishermen (3.7B, farm disaster relief)

AP on Bakersfield Californian ^ | 3/15/07 | AP

[NormsRevenge]

California citrus farmers would get $20 million, spinach growers $25 million and salmon fishermen $60.4 million in an emergency war spending bill that passed a House committee Thursday.

The money for citrus and spinach growers is part of $3.7 billion for farm disaster relief in the bill, including $1.8 billion for crop loss assistance and $1.48 billion for livestock compensation. Farmers in California and other states would be able to apply for that crop and livestock money.

The relief comes as part of a $124 billion war spending bill - including $95.5 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - that passed the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday.

The bill also includes a controversial Iraq troop withdrawal deadline of Sept. 1, 2008, pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House leaders, so its ultimate fate is uncertain. It passed on a near-party line vote of 36-28.

The citrus money would be available as an emergency conservation program to citrus farmers affected by a devastating five-night freeze in California in January that caused $1.3 billion in damage. Farmers would be able to use the funds to clean up destroyed fruit and rehabilitate damaged trees; they would also be able to apply for money from the larger disaster relief pot.

The spinach money would go to growers who suffered losses from last fall's E.Coli scare in the state, while the salmon money would help fishermen in California and Oregon hurt by a sharply curtailed fishing season.

There's also money in the bill for health care for veterans, low-income children and more.

The full House is expected to take up the bill next week and the Senate Appropriations Committee also is expected to begin considering it. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer hope to keep the money for California in the bill as it moves through the Senate.

However it's not likely the bill could survive the Senate in its current form. The Senate on Thursday rejected by a wide margin a measure setting a goal of March 31, 2008, for withdrawing troops from Iraq - indicating senators would not likely accept a deadline like the one in the House bill.

[golfisnr1]

DOA

[politicalwit]

relief comes as part of a $124 billion war spending bill - including $95.5 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -

Yes, we all know how important citrus and spinach growers are to the War on Terror.

[Ieatfrijoles]

Hope they threw in some money for graft. I'd hate to think our public servants are going to bed hungry.

[Carry_Okie]

My guess is that the bulk of this welfare for the fishermen will go through Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations. If so, it would mean that this money would be going to a claque of greenie lawyers who've been holding landowners hostage to a bogus listing.

In either case, the restrictions pursuant to PCFFA lawsuits function as corporate welfare for aquaculture companies such as Tyson, which has donated money to PCFFA.

[TheBattman]

And the farm welfare keeps flowing....

Gotta pay those illegal Hispanic workers, you know...

[Zeroisanumber]

I guess that Dole Fruit isn't just a name.

[Diver Dave]

Hmmm. I've got an orange tree and a lemon tree. Think I can be classified a citrus farmer?

The freeze did some damage to the lemon tree but the oranges taste great.

[TigersEye]

Disgusting. These asshats don't care about the troops. It's nothing but pork and power to them.