On behalf of the more than one million members and supporters
of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, I am writing
to urge you to oppose the conference report on H.R. 2646, the Farm
Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002.
This legislation represents one of the largest
non-military expansions in the size and scope of the federal
government since the Great Society and completely reverses course
from the free market reforms begun in the 1996 Farm Bill. It
is particularly irresponsible to increase agriculture subsidies by
70 percent at a time when federal government deficits are
projected for at least the next several years.
H.R. 2646 increases the subsidies for the basic crops that
receive the lion's share of government payments, which will
further spur production, lead to larger surpluses, drive down
commodity prices, and end up costing taxpayers far more than even
presently projected. It also adds another layer of dairy
subsidies, which will cost taxpayers $1.3 billion over the next 42
months, and even repeals the sugar forfeiture penalty, which means
that taxpayers will be forking over another $500 million annually
to the wealthiest sugar plantation owners.
This legislation restores all subsidy programs that have ever
been eliminated, such as those for wool, mohair and honey, and
also creates new subsidies for products that have never been
subsidized before, such as the new peas and lentils marketing loan
programs.
Farm Bill conferees retained so many loopholes that you could
drive a double wide semi-trailer truck full of $100 bills through
the so-called "$360,000 payment limitation." Under the
present farm program, two out of every three farm subsidy dollars
goes to the top 10 percent of subsidy recipients. The new
farm bill will be even more top heavy, further driving up land
prices and putting smaller farmers out of business.
This inappropriately titled legislation would be more
accurately called the "Large and Wealthy Farmers Welfare
Act." CCAGW will consider a vote on passage of the H.R 2646
conference report in the 2002 Congressional
Ratings.
The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying
arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation's largest
nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste,
fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.
