Senate Key Vote Alert: NO on the Senate's Bloated Farm Bill, S.3240
Dear Senators:
On behalf of more than two million Americans for Prosperity activists in all 50 states, I urge you to oppose the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act (S.3240). Americans deserve a farm policy that is based on the free market principles, not political favoritism.
I urge you to vote NO on S.3240, the Senate’s version of the Farm Bill. Americans for Prosperity will include this vote in our congressional scorecard.
Americans for Prosperity listed several recommendations for improvement to S.3240 in our key vote on amendments and our letter of opposition. Unfortunately, the amended version of the bill included none of these reforms. As amended, this bill perpetuates the same kind of reckless spending and corporate welfare policies that have come to define U.S. agriculture policies. Unfortunately for American taxpayers, the 2012 farm bill is even bigger and more wasteful than the farm bills that came before it.
Instead of cutting wasteful subsidies on agriculture and energy R&D, the Senate bill expands them. Instead of eliminating the massive new entitlement program, the “shallow-loss” program, S. 3240 keeps it in place. Instead of recommitting the bill to reduce spending back to fiscal year 2008 levels, the 2012 farm bill spends $250 billion more than before.
In addition, the bill did not sever the nutrition assistance programs (SNAP) so that they could be considered separately. Lawmakers cannot focus on reforming agriculture policy if they clutter the farm bill with unrelated and politically-charged programs. Nearly 80% of spending in S.3240 relates to nutrition assistance programs, which should be considered on their own.
I urge you to vote NO on S. 3240, the Senate’s version of the Farm Bill. Americans for Prosperity will include the vote in our congressional scorecard.
Sincerely,
James Valvo
Director of Policy
Americans for Prosperity
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