A Tale of Two Farm Bills: Cheers or Jeers for Farm Subsidy Proposals from the House and Senate?

Featuring

[Moderator] Josh Sewell, Director of Research and Policy, Taxpayers for Common Sense

Joseph W. Glauber, Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Barry K. Goodwin, Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Vincent H. Smith, Director of Agricultural Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute

Nan Swift, Resident Fellow, Governance Program, R Street Institute

Overview

Farm and ranch households have incomes well above the national median, and the sector is in a strong financial position as commodity prices remain high even after falling from historic levels in 2022. Still, a farm bill recently put forward by the House Committee on Agriculture would increase farm subsidies by an estimated $50–$53 billion over the next 10 years. Research by AEI’s agricultural policy scholars has demonstrated that these programs’ beneficiaries would overwhelmingly be large and financially sound producers of 17 commodities.

Join American Enterprise Institute for a discussion of the implications of farm bill proposals put forward in each chamber of Congress for economic equality, food security, and federal spending.

Submit questions to Thomas.Gilmore@aei.org or on Twitter with #AEIFarmBill.