Crop insurance is probably not the first thing you want to talk about at a cocktail party. It isn’t sexy. However, it starts looking a lot prettier when common-sense reforms to crop insurance could save taxpayers billions of dollars. The Senate is currently debating its bloated farm bill. The Congressional …
Tweet this Where do food stamps come from? They come from taxpayers—certainly not from family farms. Yet the “farm” bill, a recurring subsidy-fest in Congress, is actually 80 percent food stamps and other government nutrition programs. The food stamps sweeten the farm deal for lawmakers, who admit that the combination …
Sometimes things go better together than you’d think, such as bacon and chocolate, or Hall and Oates, however, not all combinations work. For years, some Members of Congress have thought that food stamps and farm programs—while very distinct from each other—are a great political fit. As Senator Thad Cochran (R–MS), …
Congress is turning its attention to the farm bill this week, and if there’s ever a reason to unite against big government, this is a good time as any. Heritage Action’s Drew White reports the bill is chock full of special-interest handouts, market-distorting subsidies, and hundreds of billions of dollars in …
Slapping the word rural in front of a bunch of green subsidies does not mean they’re not subsidies. But that’s exactly what the Rural Energy Investment Act section of the Senate version of the farm bill legislation does. The legislation includes direct handouts and loan guarantees for advanced biofuels and …
Every five years or so, Congress reauthorizes recurring legislation known as the “Farm Bill.” The Senate and House Agriculture Committees are expected to mark up new farm bill legislation this week and next week, respectively. As Congress develops a new farm bill, here are a few things it should keep …
Kicking the can is the least repugnant remaining resolution to the fiscal cliff. The only alternatives appear to be the Republicans’ unconditional surrender on income tax rates (and conceding their principles) or simply going over the cliff. The story is now a familiar one. Congress and the President conspire to …
Got milk? The European Parliament sure does. European dairy farmers were in Brussels this week to protest proposed changes in dairy regulations. Protestors doused the parliament building with milk and capped off a rough 10 days for the European Union (EU) capital following a failed summit last week over the …
The lame-duck session begins today, with retiring and defeated Members of Congress coming back to Washington to make their last legislative decisions. Because of the lack of accountability to voters, the lame-duck period brings heightened scrutiny. Congress has 16 working days scheduled between now and the end of the year, …
House conservatives will gather this morning to take your questions about taxes, the Farm Bill, an expected continuing resolution and a range of other issues facing Congress this fall, including the lame duck agenda. It’s your opportunity to be heard on Capitol Hill. Discussion will not be limited to these …
