Congress Passes $190 Billion Farm Subsidy

The US Congress, reversing a trend of cutting farm subsidies, has just passed a new farm subsidy bill which authorizes the expenditure of $190 billion over the next ten years.

With budget surpluses disappearing and the cost of the war on terrorism rising, the US can ill afford farm subsidies of this magnitude. Help to US farmers when a flood or weather cause crop losses is reasonable, but to again begin paying farmers to keep acreage out of use or to prop-up payments for crops they do grow is, for the most part, free cash for the large farm corporations like Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM).

Turning back the clock on farm subsidies is a waste of taxpayer dollars. It only responds to farm-state lawmakers looking to get the farmer vote out come the November 2002 elections and will only result in cuts for many other more deserving programs. The US needs to set priorities when it comes to the federal budget and farm subsidies should not even be on the radar screen.

05/09/02 ( 453 )
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