FreedomWorks Urges Congress to Support Veto on Farm Bill

FreedomWorks supports President Bush’s decision to veto the Farm Bill. Last week the House and Senate approved the colossal $300 billion, 673-paged farm bill entitled the “Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008.”

The new farm bill will subsidize farmers with agricultural incomes up to $750,000 and $1.5 million for married couples. These numbers are astonishing, considering the median household income of the United States is slightly greater than $40,000. It also contains numerous earmarks, including a whopping $170 million in grants for the salmon industry and $93 million in tax breaks for horse breeders.

FreedomWorks calls on Congress to put American taxpayers and consumers above special-interest groups by supporting President Bush’s veto of the farm bill.

President of FreedomWorks Matt Kibbe commented:

“Increased subsidies and further government control over agriculture will do nothing but distort the market and raise prices for American consumers. Congress should recognize these policies for what they really are: handouts to special-interest groups and a form of welfare for agribusiness. The romanticized version of the small family farm no longer exists. Today faming is a sophisticated industry enjoying record profits padded with heavy government subsidy. Congress is simply updating a bad 2002 farm bill with an even more bloated, market distorting bill in 2008.”