corrente

A senior economist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture has come under fire from Democrats and government watchdogs for suggesting that the Bush administration could maximize votes in key dairy states by keeping milk prices high through the election.

Larry Salathe, a 27-year veteran of the USDA, also suggested that his agency would hold off on policies that could anger dairy farmers--including proposing a new milk tax on them and eliminating a price support program--until after the election.