Farm Bill

By U.S. Senator Jon Kyl Congress recently passed the "farm bill," renewing federal farm policies, programs, and benefits for our nation's agricultural community and funding a number of nutrition programs. While there are some worthwhile provisions, the bill was also bloated with massive, big-government, wasteful spending. Congress first approved federal farm assistance policies in the early 1930s to help struggling farmers during times of economic hardship due to low commodity prices. Over the last six decades, however, the farm bill has swelled significantly, and now provides extensive subsidies for farmers and agricultural landowners who frequently are not in financial need. The bill allows millionaire farmers and non-farmers to continue receiving subsidies. It would specifically allow married couples who farm and have an adjusted gross income of $1.5 million to continue to receive subsidies. Married couples with an adjusted gross income of $1,000,000 who are not full-time farmers could also receive subsidies. Farmers are experiencing near record income and investment returns, yet Congress continues to subsidize them with even more taxpayer dollars under this bill. At a time when the United States' net farm income is projected to be $92.3 billion this year 51 percent greater than the 10-year average the farm bill would increase subsidy rates, create additional subsidies for a number of crops (like chickpeas), and continue direct payments regardless of crop prices. The bill spends approximately $730 billion over 10 years. And, as the White House correctly points out, some of the "savings" claimed is achieved through a number of budgetary gimmicks. Democrats have used these gimmicks to subvert their own "Pay-Go" rules, which require that any increase in spending must be offset with a reduction in spending elsewhere, or an increase in taxes. There is another interesting point. While Democrats conveniently set aside their own rules to increase spending in bills like the farm bill, they require a higher, and more difficult, threshold for tax reductions or extensions. What that means is that there is no problem if Congress wants to spend $730 billion on a farm bill. But if Congress wanted to maintain the policy of shielding most Americans from the Alternative Minimum Tax, it must figure out how to offset the hypothetical revenue loss with $110 billion in savings on new taxes. Guess how many times Democrats have proposed savings? Correct, none. They always propose more taxes. There's clearly something wrong with our system when the rules make it easier for the government to spend more taxpayer dollars than to return them to hardworking American families. Congress could use the farm bill to make substantive reforms and cut federal spending. Instead, it appears that Congress has passed a bloated farm bill that is just another example of a broken, mismanaged, and undisciplined Congress. Consequently, I voted against the bill, and I urge the President to veto the bill when it reaches his desk. U.S. Senator Jon Kyl is the Assistant Republican Leader and serves on the Senate Finance and Judiciary committees. Visit his website at www.kyl.senate.gov.