Farm Bill Negotiators Pushing Passage Before The End Of The Year

Will a farm bill be pushed through before the end of the year?  Some lawmakers are working to make that a reality, but that accomplishment will not be favorable for taxpayers and consumers.

Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) told reporters Monday, “There’s no reason not to get [a farm bill].  Every day we don’t get something done makes it more and more difficult.”  Rep. Conaway would like to see a farm bill passed before the end of the year.

CQ reports (sub. req’d) The principal farm bill conferees Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), andSen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) are meeting this Wednesday to prepare for some kind of agreement between the House and Senate.
A Trillion Reasons Not to Pass the Farm Bill

But the truth is there’s a trillion reasons not to pass a farm bill hastily!  The House and Senate bills would cost taxpayers nearly a trillion dollars.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported (sub. req’d) on the conservative perspective:
Some conservatives… say that lawmakers will be rewarded if they reject a farm bill that spends too much money or ends up resembling “corporate welfare” for farmers. “It’s an opportunity for them to say Washington is not in the business of handing things out to people,” said Dan Holler, spokesman for Heritage Action for America, the lobbying arm of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.



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