Our Allies: No Farm Bill in Lame Duck

Since 2010, when Republicans overwhelmingly won the majority in the House I could have posted something like this twice a week and more. Which is why electing Republicans has no effect in lessening the central planning efforts of our bloated and ever-expanding Federal government.

From RedState, where there is more:

Yesterday, Majority Leader Eric Cantor told a crowd in Boise, “I’m committed to bring the issue to the floor and then to see a way forward so we can get the votes to pass (a Farm Bill).”

I’d like to give him the benefit of doubt and assume that he is referring to a totally new bill – one which would sever the pernicious tie between farm subsidies and food stamp spending, while block granting the food welfare and phasing out the farm subsidies.  Unfortunately, he is likely referring to the House Agriculture Committee bill (H.R. 6083).  This bill should never come to the floor in a Republican Congress, let alone a lame duck session.

The House bill authorizes $957 billion in spending over 10 years, 80% of which will go towards food stamps.  Despite erroneous claims in the media regarding severe cuts to food stamps, this bill actually consummates the Obama-era baseline into our entitlement empire forever.  Furthermore, this bill adds an additional 3 crop insurance and price support programs that distort the market, encourage risky behavior, protect parochial interests, and are tendentious towards large farms.  This bill also continues the egregious coddling of rich sugar farmers and the dairy supply regulations that you so aptly referred to as “Soviet style.”