As U.S. House takes up farm bill, groups warn of hidden costs

Reuters ^ | June 14, 2013 | By Charles Abbott

[Oldeconomybuyer]

As the U.S. House of Representatives gets ready to debate a $500 billion, five-year farm bill, environmentalists and fiscal hawks warn the legislation could leave taxpayers on the hook for expensive new subsidies to growers if crop prices fall.

House Speaker John Boehner this week said he would vote for the bill, despite misgivings over dairy subsidies, and that a majority of House Republicans would support the bill.

"I've got concerns," Boehner said of the farm bill. "But doing nothing means that we get no changes in the farm program, no changes in the nutrition program and as a result, I'm going to vote for the farm bill."

The bill died in the House last year amid election-year gridlock. More than half of House Democrats signed a resolution this year opposing any cuts in food stamps, and some Republicans wants deeper cuts throughout the bill. Still, Boehner said, "I expect we'll have a majority of Republicans voting for the farm bill."

[Oldeconomybuyer]

The largest portion of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s budget consists of food subsidies, not farm subsidies. Food subsidies will cost taxpayers $79 billion in fiscal 2009 and account for about two-thirds of USDA’s budget. The largest food subsidy programs are food stamps; the school breakfast and lunch programs; and the women, infants, and children (WIC) program. The federal government as a whole has about 26 food and nutrition programs operated by six different agencies.

[11th Commandment]

$79 billion in welfare???? that can't be right.. it is a FARM bill, it helps the struggling small American farmers get by in a global market. It helps people like Billy Bob and Emily Sue.... welfare??? ha (/s)

[vette6387]

There are likely more employees in the USDA than there are farmers in the entire country.

[Elsiejay]

Eighty percent of the USDA “Farm Bill” that I read about a few days ago is allocated to a domestic (i.e., in country) people feeding food stamp program.
How many other multi billion dollar people feeding programs are tucked away in equally unlikely agency budgets?