Farm Bill Has Something Everyone Can Hate

The Farm Bill was, unsurprisingly, struck down.
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 Democrats and Republicans at least agree on one thing—the Farm Bill is terrible.  The poster child for when lobbying goes too far, the Farm Bill has seen a series of failures in the last year, and last week’s vote against its passing wasn’t particularly surprising to anyone.  The bill’s most recent appearance on the house floor included over 200 amendments to the massive law, which oversees agricultural policy as well as social welfare programs like food stamps to alleviate hunger and poverty.  House Speaker John Boehner was quick to blame democrats upset at the cuts to food stamps, although 62 of the republicans voted against the bill as well.

  

Proposed amendments included making special provisions for seniors, implement drug testing for food stamp recipients, and prohibiting payments from the USDA to the Brazil Cotton Institute.  Most of the amendments protect the interest of lobbying groups, but the biggest point of contention in the new bill is the more than $20 billion in cuts to nutrition assistance programs.  The cuts would put many Americans in dire situations, and meanwhile agricultural subsidy proposals were shut down by congress. 

Republicans feel that impoverished people should work their
way up in the world and not rely on govt. assistance.
Image: Shutterstock

While the general attitude for the cuts sounds off the failures in the system that gives out hand-outs to irresponsible citizens cheating the system, but the loss of assistance for 2 million families goes beyond any unsavory participants.

  

The hypocrisy of this attitude lies in the fact that many republicans feel that impoverished people should work their way up in the world so that they do not rely on government assistance.  Meanwhile many members of congress, especially in the agricultural committee, benefit from farm subsidies.  If a bill is not passed soon it will revert to much older and largely irrelevant version, with some provisions dating back to 1949.