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Dear Mr.
Speaker:
On behalf
of the one million members and supporters of the Council for
Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), we wish to express
our disappointment that H.R. 2646, the Farm Security Act of
2001, is expected to be considered by the House at this
time.
Congress
should focus on taking action that enhances our national
security, rather than considering special interest legislation
that is not in the national interest. Since the present farm
bill does not expire for nearly a year, there is no logical
reason to rush this legislation to the floor right
now.
Furthermore, H.R. 2646 represents a dramatic backward
step in farm policy. It not only continues to subsidize the
products it has always subsidized and restores all subsidies
that have ever been eliminated, but it also creates new
subsidies for products that have never been subsidized before.
The bill reported out of the House Agriculture Committee is
completely irresponsible and ignores reality. It adds another
$73 billion in subsidies to the already-existing $95 billion
10-year base ¾ at a time of growing uncertainty that such
funds will even be available.
The Bush
administration recently released its farm policy principles,
which correctly analyzed the negative impacts of existing farm
policies. Congress should consider the principles enunciated
by the administration before rushing head-long into passing
farm legislation that is simply an extension of the current
farm policies, which benefit a small number of wealthy farmers
at the expense of small family farmers and the American
taxpayers.
We urge
the House leadership to do what is right for the entire
country ¾ instruct the House Agriculture Committee to go back
to the drawing board and come up with a bill that looks toward
the future and avoids the failed farm policies of the past.
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