BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Kennedy has changed his mind on a bill to provide billions of dollars in aid to hurricane-stricken Louisiana farmers, now supporting it after previously lambasting the proposal.
Last week, Kennedy sided with a conservative Oklahoma senator who derailed a bill that would provide $1.1 billion in farm relief aid for Louisiana and other states struck by recent natural disasters. Kennedy now says he supports the bill.
The switch was too late to stop his Democratic opponent in the Senate race, incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu, from seizing upon his statements as a campaign issue ahead of the Nov. 4 ballot.
The legislation died last week but could be resurrected next month if, as expected, Congress convenes for a postelection “lame duck” session.
Kennedy’s criticism of the bill was aimed at Landrieu, its chief sponsor. But the measure also had support from a bipartisan group of Louisiana officials, including the state’s agriculture commissioner, Republican Mike Strain. Co-sponsors of the bill included GOP U.S. Sens. David Vitter, of Louisiana, and Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, both of Mississippi.
Strain, in a news release this week, said he spent two weeks in Washington lobbying for the measure, stating “our state economy depends” on getting cash assistance into farmers’ hands quickly before next year’s crop.
“(Hurricanes) Gustav and Ike hit at harvest time, the worst case scenario for most of our farmers,” Strain said.
Kennedy now says he favors the legislation.
“I support aid for our farmers, and in particular I trust Mike Strain’s judgment,” Kennedy said. “If he says it’s good for our farmers, I trust him.”
But in a newsletter e-mailed to supporters Friday, Kennedy praised the work of U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who used a procedural move to block the bill from passing in the Senate. Kennedy described the bill as an example of Landrieu “playing election-year politics.”
“We all want to help farmers and those in need,” Kennedy wrote. “But Mary Landrieu thinks Louisianians can’t tell the difference between spending to help hurting families, and spending designed to help politicians. Well folks, we do. And so does Conservative Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who caught Mary Landrieu red-handed playing politics with our farmers.”
Under the rules that govern the Senate, any member has the power to put a “hold” on legislation that otherwise would pass by unanimous consent. Coburn was the only member of the Senate to go on record opposing the farm aid bill.
Kennedy said his criticism of the bill was aimed at the process that led to its demise.
“The process in Washington is broken,” Kennedy said. “They’re ying-yanging back and forth. The issue is aid to the farmers, but we still don’t have aid to the farmers.”
That has not stopped Landrieu’s campaign staff from making political hay over the issue.
Citing $10,000 in campaign contributions from Coburn’s political action committee to Kennedy’s Senate campaign, Landrieu spokesman Scott Schneider said, “We can’t afford a senator who will stand with campaign backers over Louisianians.”
 
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