Friday, May 18 (Washington) The R Street Institute urges all members to vote NO on H.R. 2, the House Farm Bill.

While Farm Bills are known for being bloated and wasteful, this iteration is even worse than its predecessors when it comes to addressing corporate welfare and reining in farm subsidies. H.R. 2 does nothing to move the bill’s crop insurance or commodity titles in a more free-market direction. It also includes troubling new provisions that eviscerate payment limits for corporate farms and extend eligibility for subsidies to distant family members who may not even work or live on a farm.

It is a mistake for conservatives to use the Farm Bill is a vehicle for welfare reform while failing to address the corporate welfare rife in our farm-support system.

To make matters worse, the House Rules Committee blocked crucial reform amendments from being debated and considered by all members of Congress. The Farm Bill is a major piece of legislation that affects all Americans. Congress needs to allow robust debate around all titles of the bill and ensure that all members—not just those on Agriculture and Rules committees—have a chance to be heard.

The House should reject the product of this deeply disappointing process and start over.

 

 

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