This editorial appears in the June 29 Yakima Herald-Republic

It helps to be in the majority party. Just ask Sen. Patty Murray.

The Washington Democrat pulled off two "appropriation coups" last week when she engineered funding for separate measures to fight gang violence in Yakima and to help restore salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest.

In fact, the resurrection of money for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund drew an immediate and effusive note of thanks from Doc Hastings, our 4th District congressman who serves in the minority ranks of the House Republicans.

During most of the Bush administration, life was different for Hastings because the Republican party held the majority edge and was able to set the agenda.

That has changed and now Hastings has to seek different ways of getting his voice heard. So June 16, when he saw the House was going to strip away direct funding of the salmon recovery program, he tried to tack on an amendment. He sought to preserve $50 million for the fund that supports state, local and tribal programs to improve fish habitats and restore salmon populations.

Despite a valiant try to persuade fellow House members about the harm that would occur in the Pacific Northwest if these salmon funds were removed, Hastings watched his efforts fall short. Even though President Barack Obama had agreed to back the salmon recovery program, the House brushed aside Hastings' amendment.

That set the stage Wednesday for Murray in the Senate.

As a senior member on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and an integral part of the Democrat's leadership team, Murray has considerable clout. So Murray on Wednesday slipped in $80 million for the salmon program during a Senate Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations subcommittee meeting. It now moves to the full Appropriations Committee, where passage is virtually guaranteed thanks to Murray's position of prominence.

On that same day, Murray's office announced to the delight of officials in Yakima County that the senator had included $500,000 in an appropriations bill to fight gang violence here.

The money will go to the Yakima County Gang Initiative, a coalition of federal, tribal and local law enforcement agencies working together to deal with problems associated with gang violence. The effort will focus on social services and schools rather than enforcement. Its lofty goals include reducing the number of gang-involved youth on probation from 60 percent to 20 percent and increasing on-time graduation rates in select school districts.

Restoring salmon runs and reducing gang violence -- two worthy goals that are moving ahead, thanks to the senior senator from Washington. While this is not always the case, majority politics this time has proven beneficial.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Bob Crider, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.