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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Thanks, Tim Johnson |
Current rating: 0 |
by Taxpayers for Common Sense
(No verified email address) |
08 Oct 2001
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For wasting taxpayer dollars on bailing out big, corporate farms, while giving peanuts to struggling family farmers. |
WASHINGTON - October 5 - Today the House Republican leadership broke ranks with the Bush Administration to lead the way on approval of the Farm Security Act of 2001. The House ignored the Administration's call for a common sense farm policy and extended programs that have hurt both taxpayers and the small family farm.
Current farm policy includes price supports, loan programs, and marketing loans to certain commodities that cost federal taxpayers billions every year. These same payments keep the farm economy depressed and continue the vicious cycle of overproduction and low commodity prices.
This legislation would also continue to subsidize corporate agribusiness over small family farms at taxpayer expense. It sends the lion's share of farm payments to those who do not need government support. "Nearly half of all recent government payments have gone to the largest eight percent of farms," according to the Bush Administration's Statement of Administration Policy.
Put simply, agribusinesses and large corporate farmers -- the least likely group of producers in need of federal assistance -- are among the largest recipients of these subsidies.
The Farm Security Act as passed by the House would cost taxpayers $170 billion over ten years, and would involve an increase in spending of over $73 billion. In recent years farm subsidies have often been supplemented by emergency payments to farmers for both unforeseen natural disasters and market losses. If unforeseen events occur that would require additional emergency spending, the $170 billion price tag would increase dramatically.
Spending $170 billion dollar over the next ten years warrants a more in depth examination than the House afforded the issue. Unfortunately, taxpayers and farmers will once again be forced to pay the price for lawmakers' haste.
The House today decided to build on the mistakes of the past. With new financial commitments arising from the September 11 tragedy, it is now more critically important than ever that major spending decisions be carefully scrutinized.
Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) is a non-partisan advocate for the American taxpayer. TCS is dedicated to cutting wasteful spending and subsidies in order to achieve a responsible and efficient government that lives within its means. |
See also:
http://www.taxpayer.net/
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