Deceptive Budgeting, Bloated Spending, Wasteful Subsidies: The 2013 Farm Bill

[Geee]

Town Hall:

The Senate is this week taking up the "farm bill," which is a collection of subsidies, agriculture programs and food stamps targeted by conservatives for its waste. 80% of the total cost of the bill - expected to cost almost $1 trillion over ten years - goes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps).

The cost of SNAP has skyrocketed in the Obama years as, due to the 2008 economic downturn, many more people have gone on food stamps:

SNAP has more than doubled in cost since 2008 due to the economic downturn, fluctuating food prices and eligibility requirements loosened in the 2009 economic stimulus bill.

As the Associated Press found, in 2012 alone, the program cost $78.4 billion to put 46 million people on food stamps.

There's also likely to be tricky accounting in the newest incarnation of the farm bill. Vince Smith of the American Enterprise Institute wrote that lawmakers are attempting to sell the bill as a "deficit-reduction measure," they're double-dipping in order to get a friendly budget score.

[Draggingtree]

Senate votes 75-22 to end debate on farm bill

By Ramsey Cox and Erik Wasson - 06/06/13 10:29 AM ET

 

The Senate voted 75-22 on Thursday to end debate on a five-year farm bill, clearing way for passage of the legislation next week.

 

The bill would cut $24 billion from farm spending over 10 years, including a $4 billion reduction to food stamps. Final votes on the bill are likely to occur on Monday before the Senate pivots to immigration reform.

 

Aides said farm bill amendment votes could still come later Thursday if a final agreement can be struck to vote on a limited number of changes

The House is working on a rival, $940 billion farm bill that cuts spending by $39.7 billion over 10 years, with $20.5 billion of the cuts coming food stamps. The House bill will likely get a floor vote later this month. snip

 

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/303863-senate-votes-75-22-to-end-debate-on-farm-bill

[Draggingtree]

15 Members of Congress Received
$238K in Farm Subsidies in 2012

CNSNews.com

As Congress takes up separate versions of the mammoth farm bill, there are growing calls to reform the taxpayer-funded subsidies that benefit some lawmakers and wealthy farmers.

According to data compiled by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), 11 House members (or their spouses) and four senators (or their spouses) received $237,921 in taxpayer-funded farm subsidy payments in 2012.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack received payments totaling $82,874 from 1995 through 2012 for his Iowa farm; The family of House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) received $40,613 from 1995-2012; and Senate agriculture committee member Charles Grassley (R-IA) has received $327,246 in farm subsidies since 1995.

Former President Jimmy Carter's family farm, Carter's Farms Inc., has received $272,288 in farm subsidy payments between 1995 and 2012.

However, EWG says it is prohibited by federal law from reporting crop insurance subsidies, which now comprise two-thirds of the farm safety net

 

Sens. Mark Begich (D-AS) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) have filed an amendment to the Senate farm bill that would allow the USDA to disclose which farmers receive crop insurance subsidies.

http://newmediajournal.us/indx.php/item/9573