As the House and Senate Ag Committees have released their versions of the Farm Bill, we are seeing reactions from all over the place. Mostly we focus on the programs that are included in the titles from an Ag perspective. We talk about the Commodity Credit Corporation, Farm Safety Nets, SNAP Benefits, Crop Insurance and so much more.
However, there are other groups that are concerned about the price tag of the bill and the tax implications it is going to have. Most of these taxpayer watchdog groups come out against the cost of every Farm Bill. In fact, many of these were against the 2018 bill, and you will now hear will talk about how much they love it now.
Josh Sewell is the Director of Research and Policy with Taxpayers for Common Sense, and he says that farmers don’t need any increases in help because our profits are still excellent.
Brian Riley is the Director of the Free Trade Initiative for the National Taxpayers Union, and he says that high inputs should not justify higher taxpayer contributions. He says that the government should remove tariffs on fertilizers, steel, and lumber to help offset the input costs.
The price tag on this legislation is nearly $1.5 Trillion, so farmers can understand why people may be concerned with the cost. On the other hand, making sure we can still produce a safe and affordable food supply is paramount to anything. Also, I think many farmers would agree on the fact that if we are going to look to cut unnecessary costs on taxpayers, there are other places we could look.
