February 4, 2008

ISSUE 1204

AG SECRETARY SWORN IN, FARM BILL FATE STILL UNDETERMINED

Former North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer was sworn in Jan. 28 as the 29th Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture.

In one of his first moves as secretary, he hinted to reporters that the Bush Administration might be willing to soften its position on payment limits, a major hurdle in negotiations.

The secretary said he was “not sure the administration’s positions on farm subsidy dollar limits and a ban on subsidies to farmers who make more than $200,000 in adjusted gross income should be final."