The House today defeated the $868 billion (that Billion with a B) farm bill. It took a bi-partisan vote of democrats (who want to demonstrate house republicans are worthless and weak) and republicans who were seeking a quick vote on restrictive immigration reform measures as the price of their cooperation. The defeat nearly insures Speaker Ryan’s (R-WI) legacy will be that of a one-trick (tax cuts) pony who couldn’t pull his weight around the House. More
10 Comments on Farm Bill Gets Plowed Under
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Usually the farm bill is chocked full of irresistible slop for the trough that it passes with bi-partisan support, not this time.
Since a central feature of the bill is billions in SNAP (food stamp) and subsidies for corporate farms, you can expect it won’t take long for congress to harness the nation once again to their “farm bill.”
What the hell is a Farm Bill? A big giveaway to big Agrigulture.
long read but this primer will inform you on what all is included in the alledged farm bill
http://www.safsf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2018-Farm-Bill-Primer-for-SAFSF1.pdf
Scuttle it all. Nothing but pork.
If you like the idea of a government that does not pass new laws all the time you should be a big fan of Paul Ryan.
My father in law is a dairy farmer and wishes the government would just leave him alone.
“We’re from the government and here to help”
Oh god no
How much did we prop up sugar production? From beets, from cane?
How about rice subsidies?
What about being paid to NOT raise trout?
And then the big one, corn for ethanol. That shit the EPA says needs to be in automobile fuel. Agriculture is second only to Wall Street in dubious and ‘fuck the taxpayer’ grift.
How about the ‘Mango Education and Promotion’ board out of Miami. Did they get re-financed?
Sorry for the rant. But… no. I really ain’t. I got interested in the early ’90’s in the “Agriculture Bill”, because of the sheer size of the thing. Any expenditure of that magnitude is rife with the possibility of corruption. And it don’t disappoint.
This bill, barring defense articles, is so eat up with payback it smells like the barnyard waste it should.
Archer Daniels Midland. Dole. Monsanto.
These companies have at least an equal share in the senators and representatives they OWN compared to Wall Street. And they are being well taken care of. And there are dozens of smaller ones under the same purchasing umbrella. They own the same congress critters.
Lowell, I’d love trout imports here in Guam.😉
Just sayin…..
Typically the farm bill subsidizes five crops: Wheat, Corn, Rice, Soy, Cotton. Every other commodity producer tries to get a sliver of government largess that their congressman can slip into the final bill.