Agricultural News
Groups Urge Speaker Boehner to Refrain From Scheduling Vote on Farm Bill
Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:18:39 CDT
Twelve government watchdog groups, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute, sent House Speaker John Boehner a letter this morning urging him to hold firm and not schedule a vote on the 2012 farm bill.
Agricultural groups and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack are pushing for fast consideration of the nearly $1 trillion farm bill, saying that farmers need the bill because of the devastating drought and claiming there is no safety net without the new bill.
The group led by CEI contends current and generous crop insurance will take care of most farmers, and there were private alternatives available. As the coalition letter states:
"Agriculture already has a more than adequate safety net in the gold-plated federal crop insurance program in which taxpayers pick up, on average, 62% of the premium costs for crop insurance. These policies allow businesses to guarantee up to 85% of their expected revenue."
So far, Speaker Boehner has not scheduled a date to bring the bill to the floor.
"Using the current drought as a pretext to bail out yet another sector of the U.S. economy while expanding the federal government's role in the business decisions of agricultural enterprises is something taxpayers and our free-market economy cannot afford," the coalition letter states.
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