By Laura Andrews, Globe Gazette

“This is a good bill. It’s good for Iowa, good for production, good for conservation,” said Harkin.

MASON CITY — U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Monday he’s pleased with the new farm bill passed by a congressional conference committee after a marathon session last Thursday.

However, gaining President Bush’s favor is another matter. Bush is threatening to veto the legislation unless it substantially cuts subsidies to the nation’s wealthiest farmers.

This version of the bill still needs to be approved by the full House and Senate.

“We have it finished,” Harkin said at a news conference at the Mason City Municipal Airport. “This is a good bill. It’s good for Iowa, good for production, good for conservation.”

By Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Associated Press

"It's not just a farm bill. This is a farm and a food and an energy bill," said Harkin

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional negotiators reached a tentative agreement Friday on a multibillion-dollar farm bill that includes a hefty increase for nutrition programs at a time of rising food prices.

An intense series of closed-door bargaining sessions over how to pay for the five-year, roughly $280 billion bill ended Friday afternoon with senior Democrats expressing optimism that they would soon be sending the measure to President Bush.

By Jane Norman, Register Washington Bureau

"If you could assure me we could put money in the pockets of our consumers, I would be for it," Harkin said. "What’s to keep oil companies from only cutting the cost a nickel and pocketing the rest?"

Washington, D.C. – Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Ia., today threw cold water on the idea of a gasoline tax holiday, saying it’s a bad idea that probably won’t ever be taken up by Congress.

Two presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton, both have said they back the idea of a moratorium for the summer travel months in the interests of providing relief to strapped consumers. The third major presidential candidate, Democrat Barack Obama, is opposed, saying it’s an election gimmick and won’t save that much money.

Clinton has been on the attack on the issue as she campaigns in Indiana and North Carolina. She maintains consumers need help now.

CQ Politics

Conferees approved three of the 11 sections of a new five-year farm bill Tuesday, a small step toward finishing the measure before an extension of current law expires April 18.

House and Senate conferees unanimously agreed to the credit, trade and research titles of the bill, even though minor discrepancies remain between the two versions of the measure.

The conferees intend to meet again Wednesday, when Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin , D-Iowa, said they’ll likely adopt other titles of the bill, including nutrition, forestry and livestock.

IowaPolitics.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and 55 of his Senate colleagues today sent a bipartisan letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations seeking $489.6 million in this year’s supplemental appropriations bill for the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program. The additional funding would restore Byrne/JAG funding for fiscal year 2008 to $660 million – including $6 million for Iowa – the same level that the Senate originally provided for in the Commerce Justice and Science Appropriations bill that passed the Senate last year.