Sen. Salazar says farm bill close to broad support

Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said Wednesday that a contentious farm bill that could cut subsidies for wealthy farmers is close to having broad support from legislators, but it still must clear a few hurdles.

During a conference call Wednesday morning, Salazar said the farm bill is being changed to form an agreement between Bush and the Democratic-led Congress, though there is no assurance that Bush won't still veto the bill if it arrives at his desk. Legislators are busy working on a new form of the bill -- which Salazar said could be drafted by the end of the day Wednesday -- that would cut subsidies for wealthy farmers.

At issue are income caps that dictate which farmers can receive subsidies. Now, farmers with adjusted gross incomes less than $2.5 million per year can receive the subsidies. Under the new bill, that figure could drop significantly -- as low as $250,000 -- though Salazar said the latest iteration of the bill would cut subsidies only for farmers with an adjusted gross income of more than $750,000 per year. People who receive subsidies though they only get a small portion of their income from farming could have their subsidies cut, as would farmers who subdivide their land.

The bill in its current form defines a farmer as someone who earns more than two-thirds of his or her income from agriculture.

Salazar said he thinks the Senate has enough votes to override any Bush veto on the bill, but that he couldn't say the same for the House.

On Tuesday, Bush admonished the Democratic-led Congress, saying legislators haven't sent him meaningful legislation he could sign that would help America as its economy slumps.

"I think the president is unfair when he essentially plays the blame game," Salazar said.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.