NW senators support farm bill

WASHINGTON —

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.

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