Farm Subsidies Become Target Amid Spending Cuts
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER
NYT
WASHINGTON — When it comes to spending cuts, members of Congress like to say that “everything is on the table.” Except, generally, food. But now federal farm subsidies, long decried by policy makers as wasteful and antiquated but protected by powerful political interests, appear to be in serious danger.
This week, Representative Paul D. Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin and the chairman of the House Budget Committee, told reporters, “We shouldn’t be giving corporate farms, these large agribusiness companies, subsidies. I strongly believe that.”
His budget proposal would take $30 billion out of the farm program over the next decade.
Representative Eric Cantor, Republican of Virginia and the majority leader, attended the first session of debt-limit negotiations on Thursday with a list of areas where he saw a potential agreement between Republicans and the White House, including farm subsidies.
(More here.)
NYT
WASHINGTON — When it comes to spending cuts, members of Congress like to say that “everything is on the table.” Except, generally, food. But now federal farm subsidies, long decried by policy makers as wasteful and antiquated but protected by powerful political interests, appear to be in serious danger.
This week, Representative Paul D. Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin and the chairman of the House Budget Committee, told reporters, “We shouldn’t be giving corporate farms, these large agribusiness companies, subsidies. I strongly believe that.”
His budget proposal would take $30 billion out of the farm program over the next decade.
Representative Eric Cantor, Republican of Virginia and the majority leader, attended the first session of debt-limit negotiations on Thursday with a list of areas where he saw a potential agreement between Republicans and the White House, including farm subsidies.
(More here.)
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2 Comments:
all subsidies should be on the table to be cut.
First a tongue-in-check question: “I have been telling folks that the pie is getting smaller,” said Representative Reid Ribble, a Republican freshman from Wisconsin who sits on the House Agriculture Committee.
Whom did Mr. Ribble say this to ? To the folks who attend his fundraisiers, like Dean Foods who are pleading NoContest for anti-trust violations ?
Did he say that to his contributors so that he can keep fighting to forestall or minimize cuts ?
Ok, seriously, WHY is Paul Ryan getting any good publicity out of this … I wrote a blog entitled Should the Ryan Budget Save the Kline Family Farm … it looked at the cuts in education and his proposed cuts in farm subsidies … “fiscal 2012 budget contained a paltry $3 billion per year over the next decade— leaving $120 billion in total expected spending on farm subsidies. Compare that to the outlay for Education which will be cut $23 billion in just FY2013 alone.”
Ryan's proposal is insufficient … and how about some “means testing” or no payments to “absentee farmers” like John Kline who has received over $100,000 in soybean subsidies … and I will bet you never thought that a Congressman would have to have a second income just to survive a meager $174,000 a year.
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