| FARGO -- A narrowly split Congress could lead to compromise
on future farm policy debates, members of North Dakota's congressional
delegation say.
"The American people have deliberately said to their government
they want some checks and balances here. They don't want one party to run
away with public policy," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. "It's
going to force the parties to work more closely together and find ways to
cooperate."
Lakota farmer Scott Nelson said he hopes compromise will replace what
he calls partisan finger-pointing over the 1996 farm law, known as Freedom
to Farm, and the collapse later of foreign markets for American
commodities.
"Freedom to Farm has taken the blame for some problems that I
don't believe were caused by Freedom to Farm," said Nelson, who has
farmed for 16 years near Lakota, in northeastern North Dakota's Nelson
County.
Dependence
The 1996 farm law was designed to end farmers' long-term dependence on
the government by ending a decades-old system of production controls. In
turn, farmers were guaranteed continued but diminishing payments through
2002. They also would be able to plant whatever they liked, without the
risk of losing government subsidies.
Democrats have criticized Republicans who wrote the bill for cutting a
needed safety net from under farmers. Republicans counter that the Clinton
administration's export policies were not aggressive enough to open
foreign markets that were critical to the law's success.
The chairmen of both the House and Senate agriculture committees plan
hearings on farm policy next year, when the Senate could be split 50-50
and GOP control in the House is narrowed to less than a dozen seats.
Shared control
Dorgan said a 50-50 Senate would lead Democrats to seek shared control.
"We'll be working with Republicans to talk about how we do
that," he said. "But this will be very unusual."
However the final count comes out, Dorgan said, the seats Democrats
picked up bring the Senate close to a majority of members who want to see
farm policy changed.
"It's not a certainty, but I think it's more likely that we'll
have a chance to do that," he said.
The GOP remains in control of the House, but by a narrowed margin of
220-211. Two races remained undecided Tuesday.
"This split is so narrow, it's barely a governing majority,"
said Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D. "I think the Republican leadership is
going to have to make a decision -- if they only want to run the place
with the votes of the Republican Party, as they have in the past, they'll
have to accept getting very little done."
Bipartisan agenda
The next president "would be well advised to work with a doable,
centrist, bipartisan agenda," he said. "I think we need to
demonstrate that after all this political rancor, the elected leaders can
come together and get the work done the American people need."
Nelson is the past chairman of the North Dakota Oilseed Council and
president of the National Sunflower Association. He thinks there are
aspects of the 1996 farm law that should be preserved.
"No. 1, in my mind would be planting flexibility, to continue to
plant for the market as producers see fit," he said.
Pomeroy and Dorgan said both price supports and flexibility are
possible in future legislation. |