Bush signs, praises farm bill

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Monday signed a $190 billion farm bill guaranteeing higher subsidies to growers in Midwestern and Southern states where key political races will decide which party controls Congress next year.

At an early morning ceremony, Bush said the six-year bill "will provide a safety net for farmers, and will do so without encouraging overproduction and depressing prices" -- a position contrary to what administration officials argued when the bill was being written.

The subsidies could help Bush in his quest to win back control of the Senate for the GOP, while giving him a chance to rack up IOUs for his own 2004 re-election effort.