On behalf of nearly 850,000 FreedomWorks members nationwide, I write to urge you to VOTE YES on the Blumenauer/Ryan Farm Program amendment to H.R. 2419, the FY08 Farm Bill. The amendment would create annual limits to farm commodity payments and program benefits. The amendment is a step in the right direction: It increases fiscal discipline and reduces agricultural subsidies while promoting market competition. Specifically, the amendment would create a $40,000 limit on direct payments and overall would limit all farm commodity program payments and benefits to $250,000 per year.

In 1996, after seeing federal welfare policy fail to help the poor for 60 years, our leaders in Washington decided it was time to try something new. They boldly passed a welfare reform law that ended the legal entitlement to cash handouts, required many to work in order to receive money, and gave states the flexibility to design their own programs.

Senator Charles Grassley Chairman Senate Finance Committee SD-219 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-6200 Dear Senator Grassley:

As published in the Wall Street Journal, August 1, 2002