P.M. BRIEFING : Overpayments in Drought Aid

At least 80 farming operations were paid more than the limit of $100,000 set by Congress under 1988 drought aid legislation, according to Agriculture Department records.

The payment list of top recipients under the Disaster Assistance Act of 1988 was compiled by the department’s Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service.

Congress provided $3.9 billion in aid, mostly to help with crop losses suffered in the 1988 drought. As of Dec. 31, payments of more than $3.88 billion had been made to 805,152 recipients.

“We’re asking for our money back, if we’ve overpaid anybody,” said Daniel F. Shaw, the service’s deputy administrator for state and county operations. “The computers are set to flag anybody that goes over the $100,000 limit, even by a dollar.”