E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSThe Senate late Monday broke a deadlock that had threatened to bring down a half-trillion-dollar farm and food bill, setting the stage for expected passage of the measure later this week.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced a list of 73 amendments that were acceptable to both parties. That was out of the approximately 300 proposed amendments to the measure, a 1,000-page bill that will set farm policy over the next five years and provide nearly $80 billion a year for the federal food stamp program.
The two parties had negotiated for days on a package of allowable amendments, with the main sticking point being amendments concerning such issues as foreign policy and budgetary matters that were unrelated to the farm bill.
The Senate will start voting on the amendments Tuesday with much of the attention centered on proposals to cut food stamp spending or put limits on subsidies offered farmers for crop insurance.
The farm bill differs significantly from past farm policy in eliminating direct payments to farmers even when they don't plant crops, and instead stressing crop insurance and a new program that compensates growers for revenue losses.
Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., says the bill will save $23.6 billion over the next decade by ending direct payments, consolidating conservation programs and eliminating abuses in the food stamp program.
"This farm bill is unlike any other before it," she said. "It cuts spending, ends subsidies, improves accountability and strengthens healthy food systems. We are now closer than ever to achieving real reform in America's agriculture policy."
Even with Senate passage, the bill could face an uphill battle in the House, where conservative opposition to farm bill spending is high. The House Agriculture Committee has been waiting for the Senate to act before moving ahead with its version.
The House is also expected to be more sympathetic to Southern rice and peanut farmers who rely more heavily on direct payments and want changes in the Senate safety net provisions.
The current farm bill expires at the end of September.
Leave a Comment:
Stop all government handouts and subsidies! .....except mine.
Woohoo!.....you mean someone in DC is actually trying to get some work done....like that veritable "sweat shop" (yeah right) also known as that dust and cob webbed covered (from lack of use) Oval Office?
The question is -- Will the Teapublican House vote for SPENDING with direct payments to farmers (most of which are large corporations) and demand cuts in food stamps for poor children in order to pay for the corporate subsidies? Does anyone else see the crazy here?
Desperation2012 -- If you read the article you will see it is the Dems doing the work, as usual. The problem is the anticipated obstruction by the GOP/TP House, and Teapublicans attaching unrelated crap, or the Keystone pipeline to the transportation bill to poison any progress.
A divided, vindictive congress is why Washington is paralyzed. Throw the Teapublicans out!
I think that the congress needs to first pass a budget for this year so that so that one can understand how farm spending fits in. Without conditions to include any action of congress, the President has promised the American people that the 2012 federal deficit will not exceed 229.27 billion dollars, yet the President's own White House is predicting that the deficit will be more than 5 times what the President promised. I think that congress should take action to help the President to keep his promise. Passing immediately would be a big help in that regard. Remember that the President's promise is for this fiscal year and the fiscal year is already more than half over. All hail the Chief!. I see that the President is trying to take some of the legislative burden off the shoulders of congress by making laws himself. This should give them more time to pass a budget that keeps the President's promise.
I've never understood the feds paying people not to grow stuff, yet I've never seen a dime of that.... and I've never grown corn, wheat, beans, or anything else in my life. My not-raising-corn abilities exceed that of virtually any farmer. Anyway, it'll be good to have that evil go away, but surely plenty of graft remains in any bill that dishes out half a trillion dollars.
Hmm, on second thouht, maybe I do understand this.
Let the mega-farm corporations, which is mostly what taxpayer money is wasted on in these farm bills, deal with the market.
No more bailouts. No more subsidies. No more handouts. No more tariffs. No more useless regulations. No more government crony capitalism.
Free trade up for imports and exports with other countries. Compete and thrive or don't and go out of business like you should in a functional capitalist economy, we don't need the government continuing to screw things up for our citizens on the backs of the tax paying public.
JPM77 -- A balanced approach is needed. It is actually a national security matter to ensure that American farmers can feed at least our own population, but agriculture is also an export that contributes to our economy. This is why subsidies began, and why free trade and importing our food is a really bad idea.
Unfortunately, the protectionism evolved to have wasteful aspects to it like paying farmers not to grow certain crops. Helping small family farms versus corporations is more attractive as well. But you do not want basic needs like food to be jeopardized or to become too expensive.
Here would be progress on the Farm Bill:
Stop paying people to NOT grow crops!
Yeah, I expect to see that!
Pathetic.
For the most part, aren't "Farm Subsidies" going to large corporations? Isn't that considered "Corporate Welfare?" What is this, an election year?
Yes you are correct. They days of the family farm are dead. I have several relatives who work on farms, but none who actually own one.
It's agribusiness, the commercialization of farming. No farm can make it unless they have more land than any one person could possibly manage. I won't even get into the cost of farm machinery these days.
Dahly------you are right! mostly corporate welfare. Paid to not grow crops, they either don't plant at all or just don't water & get paid either way.
Of course most of those agribusineses are where lots of individual farmers banded together to form cooperative, so that they could share the costs of the expensive equipment and leverage buying/borrowing power.
There are still plenty of family farms, especially in the rural states. In fact most of the farms and ranches throughout the west and midwest are still family run.
The problem, however, is they are all millionaires getting rich off the government at the taxpayer's expense. They all consider their family farm as a "small business" but they don't play by the same rules: if I open up a store on main street and I can't drum up business, the shop goes under and I am at a loss. If a farmer isn't able to turn around a profit on his crops and make the farm business work, it doesn't matter because the government pays him anyway.
The idea of the "poor, struggling farmer" is a myth. There hasn't been a poor farmer since the Dirty Thirties. Today every farmer and rancher lives in a giant, brand new house, drives a brand new pickup truck, always buys the newest and most expensive cars, clothes, and gadgets for their kids -- yet they all claim to have no income as the farm subsidies roll in to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. They farm the government as much as they farm the soil.
It sure is a myth. I don't know any poor farmers where I live. Nice houses, nice autos, much more income than the guy working at the factory or even the doc working at the clinic. They do put in long hours, but they are not poor by any stretch of the imagination. Its kind of hard to understand why they need anything more than crop insurance.
The family that raises crops on my families farm has been doing it since the 70's. He takes the risk every year to plant and raise corn or soybeans. He pays us regardless of the crop. Last year he had soybeans in a year when corn didn't make because of dry weather.
This land as not sat idle since we moved here in 1958. My Father eked out a living on it. We raised hogs and our own beef. My Mother canned veggies all summer so we would have food in the winter.
Where the problem is with sugar that is subsidized to the tune of double of the world market. It pisses me off to pay what I pay for sugar.
I'm sorry that peanut farmers are having trouble, so are many other people.
We hear of people starving all over the world. Why not grow wheat and corn to feed these people...oh that's right it will make the price go down if they grow it.
Just go online and Google farm subsidy and see where the money is going. You would be amazed.
I want the federal government to pay me not to grow rutabagas in my back yard.
And why do you think that is? Because all of their subsidies and giveaways support big farms, corporate farms, NOT the small farmer. Small farmers don't contribute big-time to their presidential campaigns, do they?
When we are all starving, I want you to remember voting Republican!
So how is a program that was started by Democrats considered by you to be only a Republican problem. Get a clue. All of them are corrupt.
I hope they take out the farm aid to the senators and congressman who collect millions every year. But I won't be holding my breath.
Yes they are going to corporations, stop all corporate welfare and unless you can prove you are legally in the US no food stamps either.
Saw no mention of farmers allowed to grow hemp... that is one stupid rule..
Hemp was originally grown around my hometown for rope and fabric. Then someone realized you could smoke it.
It's about time we started going through some of these bills that have been around for 10+ years and cutting the fat out of them. To think Billions of taxpayer dollars are getting wasted promoting products like dog glitter overseas is simply a joke.
Obama heard there are possible changes to the food stamp program.... I am sure they will be in his favor. He needs extra funds to keep the pace of his entitlement expansion. Food stamp spending has more than doubled since 2008.
Uh...yeah...unemployment was already well on the rise when he took office. Unemployed people often get food stamps. I agree that an enormous amount of fat needs to be cut out of the programs but acting like the state of this country is one man's fault is ludicrous. He's not faultless but he sure as sh*t didn't cause the world's strifes all by himself in three years the way many of you continually act like he did.
His stimulus, his healthcarte plan, his fast and furious, his failed green energy, his adding 6 trillion to the debt. Pretty good one man show. With another debt ceiling increase in Oct.
Reaper,
Where in my post did I lay all blame on Obama? I never said everything was his fault. I will however point out the MANY ways he has made things worse, just as I will point out the MANY stupid things Bush did. I care not about an R or a D beside someones name, and care more about wether they fight for small government as the constitution reads.
Before you start throwing out wild accusations, it might be wise to read more carefully.
Personally, I think both Bush and Obama have been very inept presidents. They have also been hampered by equally inept people in leadership positions in both parties the last decade.
His stimulus that kept the auto industry and US economy from collapsing? That stimulus?
His healthcare plan that has made sure millions of Americans who didn't have healthcare now do? That healthcare plan?
Fast and furious? You mean the fast and furious being investigated now and not covered up under the auspices of "national security"?
His failed green energy? Failed because Solyndra went out of business due to Chinese companies with government subsidies flooding the market with cheaper, inferior technologies? Yes, let's not pursue anything that has any chance of failure. That will keep America great.
Finally, the debt. I don't recall hearing a single Conservative say a word when President Bush dramatically increased the debt but NOW, it's suddenly the #1 issue. You righties would have a lot more credibility if your principles were more important than whether the President has an (R) or a (D) next to their name.
"Food stamp spending has more than doubled since 2008."
In terms of the total federal budget, Food Stamps is far less than 1%. The real welfare queens supporting this bill are the huge agra-business companies like ADM, Tyson, Cargill, ConAgra, etc.
Isr,
His stimulus that kept the auto industry and US economy from collapsing? That stimulus? Find one credible economist that will definitively say that the stimulus saved the US economy from collapsing. If not your statement is a lie.
His healthcare plan that has made sure millions of Americans who didn't have healthcare now do? That healthcare plan? His healthcare plan that got passed with 70% of Americans against the bill, and has already been proven it will cost almost DOUBLE what they expected.
Fast and furious? You mean the fast and furious being investigated now and not covered up under the auspices of "national security"? It is being investigated by someone Obama appointed.... I am sure he can investigate without bias. It would be like your boss, I'm assuming your employed, asking you to give him a performance assessment. I am sure you would be kind given your job could depend on it.
His failed green energy? Failed because Solyndra went out of business due to Chinese companies with government subsidies flooding the market with cheaper, inferior technologies? Yes, let's not pursue anything that has any chance of failure. That will keep America great. Hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars wasted on green companies run by Obama bundlers pretty much proves it is a failed policy at this time. I agree it could be a relevent industry in the future, but it is NOT right now.
Finally, the debt. I don't recall hearing a single Conservative say a word when President Bush dramatically increased the debt but NOW, it's suddenly the #1 issue. You righties would have a lot more credibility if your principles were more important than whether the President has an (R) or a (D) next to their name. Bush 4.7 trillion in 8 years. Obama 4.8 trillion in 4 years. What are we actually comparing here? It's not even close. I do not condone Bush spending either....
Charlie-1915998
"Food stamp spending has more than doubled since 2008."
In terms of the total federal budget, Food Stamps is far less than 1%. The real welfare queens supporting this bill are the huge agra-business companies like ADM, Tyson, Cargill, ConAgra, etc.
Food stamps and other programs like low income housing, free school meals, child care assistance, and assistance for home bills like power, water ect are 13% of the federal budget. BIG difference than "far less than 1%".
I wrote letters to my senators bout Bush & Obama spending. The debt is a major problem for this country and will remain until someone finally has the guts to try do something about it...not this budget line smoke and mirror garbage....real cuts.
lol @ bush debt 4.7 trillion and Obama debt 4.8 trillion... so our nations debt 9.5 trillion not 15.7 trillion?....did we forget GW bush started with a surplus? someone been watching to much fox news.
Just a short lesson in Washington spending.This nor any president before him has ever spent a dime or increased the debt without the written consent of the U.S. Congress.So when I hear Pres. Obama spent this and lost this I have to laugh at the ignorance of the people saying it.Congress and only Congress passes spending bills and provides the money for it.So if your going to lay blame lay it where it belongs
"Food stamps and other programs like low income housing, free school meals, child care assistance, and assistance for home bills like power, water ect are 13% of the federal budget. BIG difference than "far less than 1%"
I said FOOD STAMPS account for less that 1% of the total federal budget. Assistance for power bills, day care, etc are NOT part of the farm bill. And -- even if all that adds up to 13% (which I doubt) that's still far less than we spend on corporate welfare.
Non-Socialist - I'll take you seriously when you learn to do math. A $787 billion stimulus program (which was too small to do the job, thanks, Republicons) and was about 1/3 tax cuts did NOT give "hundreds of billions" to green companies. The current health care reform is opposed by a slim majority of citizens - and a significant percentage of those oppose it because it didn't go far enough. If you do the math, a majority acually support it, or something stronger.
And the greatest food-stamp president in all of US history is George W. Bush. Face it, if he hadn't crashed the economy, one helluva lot of people would still be working and NOT on food-stamps. Let's elect another no-brainer Republican like Mitt Romney!
From Grover Norquist:
"All we have to do is replace Obama. ... We are not auditioning for fearless leader. We don't need a president to tell us in what direction to go. We know what direction to go. We want the Ryan budget. ... We just need a president to sign this stuff. We don't need someone to think it up or design it."
Yeppirs! That's Mitt Romney!
No more federal handouts to farmers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Over half of the budget in the farm bill is for SNAP, aka foodstamps.
"ADM, Grocer to the world." LOL
Maybe Reid can put up a budget for the senate to vote on. Been well over 1,000 days since the senate has approved any budget.
"Maybe Reid can put up a budget for the senate to vote on"
You mean that Ryan budget? The Senate did vote on it. Even Senate Republicans ran away from that one. The constitution requires the House to propose a budget not the Senate. The House proposed one -- the Senate -- both Democrats and Republicans rejected it. It's up to the House to come up with a new one --- not the Senate.
Charlie,
One of the few things demanded of the Senate, not the House, is to vote on and pass a Budget every year. They have not done this for over three years. You clearly do not know what you are talking about.
Non So-Marx
Sorry, the way it works is hierachal, it is the obligation (by job definition) that the House, lowest on the pole, come up with a bill the Senate is willing to sign, period. If the Senate does not like the Bill, then the House is not doing its job, and should be impeached for blatant disregard of their job responsibilities. The same goes for the entire Congress, it is their job definition to write legislature the President is willing to sign, or the Senate may override the President's veto. It is not the President's job (by definition) to accept whatever crap Congress comes up with, just as not the Senates job to accept the absolute crap the House has been coming up with. The House tea baggers, by considering shutting down government rather than write legislation the Senate and the President are willing to sign, are violating the Constitution and should be jailed, and I ain't just sayin'.
And btw, when did everbody forget this from eighth grade Civics class, or, from Schoolhouse Rock? Remember, the "Bill" song?
It like we in some mass-hysteria "Lets be ignorant" fascination or something. Very troubling...
"One of the few things demanded of the Senate, not the House, is to vote on and pass a Budget every year."
You are clearly the one who doesn't know what you are talking about. The Senate did vote on the Ryan budget and rejected it. Most Senate Republicans ran away from it. It is up to the house to propose another one.
Actually the process has never been up or down in either body. The Senate has indeed failed We the People by not making any counter proposals to the House budget. The Senate has been obstructionist of well over three years and will remain so until responsible individuals are in charge.
Billions spent, but some would have us believe if we follow the plan 10 yrs. we'll "save" over the lifetime. What a bunch of garbage. How are we saving for 10 yrs. on a bill that only last 1 yr. Paint a pretty picture and lie. Kick the can down the road. Don't vote for ANY incumbent. Lets see if someone wants to do the job right!
Very reasonalbe thought process. 1/3 of the Senate as freshmen will have a dramatic impact on the other 2/3.
So is the Senate going to include a drug test requirement for the CEO and all the VPs of Tyson Foods, ConAgra Foods, ADM and the rest of those lining up for their welfare checks??
i will support a bill to do just that...time to end welfare to these huge corp farms.
Time to put welfare back to the local level where it belongs.
Budget line economics is complete and utter BS. Try spending less than last year not the projected amount.
Farmers depend on direct payments to survive, but the corporate farms have taken over the agra biz. The small farmer is a thing of the past...and not good for this country.
Welfare subsidies(food stamps) are in the farm bills...I fail to understand why?
The original intent was people buying food will help the farmers. Get back to fresh vegtables, furits, and meat grown in the USA and stop the abuses. I saw an individual pay for a wedding cake with her food stamp card which now works just like a debit card. Yes they can withdraw cash used to buy liquor or what ever else they want.
Yeah let's help Monsanto poison us all. And I've read that they have tacked on some pretty nasty amendments which is just wrong.
Amendments that would hurt our National Forests and the shorelines. They want to destroy everything in the name of 'jobs' which is only a temporary measure. Once the old growth forests and oceans are destroyed they aren't coming back. What a shame that future generations would be unable to see them. And for what? For a few lousy dollars that doesn't solve the issue, but is only a temporary small fix. It's like burning your furniture when you are cold, it may heat you for a while but you will run out of furniture.
The politicians and heads of corporations are so short sighted and greedy. Meanwhile the family farms are becoming a thing of the past and they persecute those who wish to provide healthy food.
Follow the money....
It is certain to fail in the House where the Do-nothing but complain party, the GOP, controls.
I like people not spending my money.
Good luck with that. Conservatives in the south and mid-west can't do without their farmer welfare.
So that dumbazzes like you don't pay $8 for a loaf of bread....
Exactly Sam, agribusiness does not need direct payments! It's enough that the government subsidies their crop insurance and it looks like the government is willing to "compensate them for revenue losses" as well. Sounds like a sweet deal to me but I'm sure the "farmers" are complaining like hell. I know because I grew up in rural central Illinois (think corn and soybean fields as far as the eye can see).
A guy I knew in HS and his wife (the HS sweetheart) and at least one other family member (child?) in Iroquois County has cleaned up on farm subsidies to the tune of almost a million dollars since 1994. I believe he inherited the family farm and added acreage over the past few decades.
I find it particularly offensive that rural areas are staunchly Republican and anti-welfare (especially if you're poor -- who BTW are required to work more than 30 hours a week or be looking for work to obtain a few hundred dollars a month!) but rake in thousands every year in farm subsidies to protect them from a capitalist market. With all the advanced farming machinery, they only need cross the field 2-3 times a year so you see how many can work full-time elsewhere. Yep, they really need the help. Hypocrites.
Nice, we need to cut welfare for the good of the budget...but hey, the people in "MY" district still deserve them. Tha'ts why politics is local. Quid Pro Quo....I get you farm subsidies (or a bridge to nowhere) and you get me reelected. I'll keep the pork coming home, we'll just screw the other guy and pass the savings on to you. Problem is "We're all the 'Other' guy to other people"
We need a great big reset button. No subsidies, no government spending on anything, the military wants to be patriotic, let 'em serve without pay. Let's take it to zero....yeah, the problem IS government. All the old folks in retirement homes paid for by the government come home to live with their families, you want medicine and you're old then buy it yourself, you didn't plan on retirement...too bad for you. We should cap social security payments at the amount you paid in over your life with a little bit of interest added to that amount. You don't deserve something for nothing...do you? Well then, let's do without for a while and see how many of the TEA/GOP come sniveling back.
Where else but America can you sabotage the government, celebrate doing nothing is better than compromising, and then complain that nothing is getting done to make things better.
Wake up America!
Many of us (me 40 yrs and still working -- still have 14 yrs to reach 65) have paid into Social Security so don't give me any $hit about "entitlement" and not planning. I have a 401k and 3 IRA's but I PAID into SS and I darn well better get it --- but me thinks not. Your post makes you look like the A$$ you are.
TFH,
Your post is pretty much all over the place but I'm totally on board with trying that middle paragraph you talked about. Oh, and call it a hunch, but I think the prices of meds might, just might become reasonable again if the government got out of that industry along with getting out of all the other things you talked about. I've heard stories from long ago, when people used to spend the money they earned themselves instead of letting the people inside the beltway do it for them. It sounded nice...
Where is ALL this almost TRILLION $$$$$!@#$%^&*() of our TAXPAYER DOLLARS GOING TO???
CORPORATIONS of AGRICULTURE That the SENATE and HOUSE of REPS HAVE POCKET FILLING INTEREST IN is what it FULFILLS. GREED at the UPPER LEVELS of SOCIETY is what it fills!!!!!!
Is it going to PAY MORE TO THE FIELD WORKERS AND ALL THE AGRA BUSINESS WORKERS????? I HIGHLY DOUBT IT !!!!!
ONCE AGAIN THE MAFIA HOUSE & SENATE are not doing it FOR THE MASSES OF PEOPLE IN THE U.S.
Lets cut the FOOD ON THE TABLE so it can REWARD the UPPER CLASSES. To BAD IF PEOPLE OF THIS NATION STARVE.
CONGRESS IS PATHETIC!!
It is worse than you think. The federal government is having to borrow the money that they are paying out to the rich farmers. Because the federal government is already more than 15 trillion dollars in debt, for any new money borrowed, I estimate that it will end up costing the tax payers 9 times the amount borrowed to pay the money back in 170 years.
This is real JOB CREATION FOLKS !!! What a CIRCUS ACT !!!
$80 billion a year in food stamps? I wonder what percentage of that number is fraud and abuse? There are no controls in place, no system to stop abuses and when the Republicans tried to return to the Clinton era reforms, Reid wouldn't allow the amendment to come to the floor for a vote. I wonder why.
Tell your teabagger congresspeople to stop blocking the jobs bill & transportation bill then people can get back to work and not need food stamps.
So the increase in food stamps is only related to the low level of unemployment?
During the recession Medicaid spending increased 27%, this is probably due to the loss of jobs during the recession.
During the same recession, food-stamp spending increased 110%. How does that make any sense?
Most of the "reforms" that were put in place for food stamps have now gone away. I am all in favor of bringing some sanity back to the process.
1 example of reform that was in place but isn't any longer is "categorical eligibility" for food stamps. This allows entire groups of people to receive the benefits despite what their financial situation is.
What does ROMPNEY THE CLOWN have to say???? Is he shutting his mouth and playing the DO NOTHING ACT?? So that he LOOKS SQUEEKY CLEAN, I am the PEOPLE MAN!@#$%^&*()
GOD! these guys are a JOKE to this NATION !!!
I will not vote for your boy again -- ABO 2012
Why not Dottie? You have 401ks and IRA's and if you are like me they have rebounded and made up their 40% loss during this administration. That equates to a whole lot of wealth being returned to the middle class during the last couple of years. Obama definitely works for me.
The number of people on food stamps has increased from 28 million to 46 million over the last 4 years and spending has doubled under Obama. Obama's "Stimulus Act" essentially got rid of the block grants to the states and the incentives for states to help people get off of food stamps. Instead, the Federal government took over and incentivized states to put people on food stamps.
I wasn't a big fan of Bill Clinton but under his welfare reform, millions of people were able to get off of welfare and begin to make a life for themselves. Obama and the Democrats have reversed those gains in the past 3 1/2 years in an effort to make people more reliant on the government for their survival.
lukewarm
Exactly how have those gains been reversed? As far as I know, TANF is still in force with the same employment requirements and time limits.
Perhaps, in these difficult times, states like AZ -- which also tied food stamps to strict work requirements -- were forced to make food stamps easier to obtain?
Ahhhh the US. Where the government pays you to fail. Bank goes under? Government will bail you out. Farmer doesn't make a million? No problem government will help you out. Lazy and stupid and don't want to work? Government has a plan for that. You would think that the government actually has a way of making revenue?????? Oh ya they do---tax the people who are working and trying to get ahead the old fashioned way---by EARNING IT. When will people learn if you don't take care of yourself and tell the government to stop all this foolish spending there will be no tomorrow.
This could have been a simple one page bill:
The Senate affirms that we have no Constitutional authority to dictate the decisions by farmers; nor to choose winners and losers with subsidies; nor to concoct a welfare programs (Food Stamps).
Effective today, we will no longer dictate farm policy, will not fund and/or subsidize agriculture in the United States, and affirm that welfare decisions are reserved to the states and the people respectively according to the 10th Amendment.
Exactly!
Dysfunctional! The only word to describe this congress. 300 amendments to a farm Bill. The fools we elect are dysfunctional. No other word to describe them. They don't have a clue to what the problem is. They don't solve our problems, they are the problem.