Ax Wasteful Agriculture Subsidies, Groups Urge Super Committee

Washington, D.C., October 26, 2011 – In a letter sent Tuesday to the Joint Select Committee, the Competitive Enterprise Institute joined with four other nonprofit groups to urge the committee to eliminate wasteful agricultural subsidies as part of its recommendations to reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years.

The letter points out that agricultural interests get $5 billion of taxpayer dollars a year, “even when the farming industry is thriving and incomes are at a record high.” Large-scale agricultural interests shouldn’t be able to hold Congress hostage during these critical times when the national debt is $14.8 trillion and growing.  “Farm programs must be on the chopping block,” the letter states.

The letter cautioned: “Reduced federal spending on agriculture programs should not come from illusory cuts that simply transition farmers into other costly programs. Further, the Joint Select Committee is not an appropriate venue to enact agriculture program reforms that fail to move in a free-market direction and continue government’s intrusive role in the marketplace, whether the programs purport to save money on paper or not.”

The five nonprofit groups signing the letter are: Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Citizens Against Government Waste, and National Taxpayers Union.

► View the coalition letter