National Taxpayers Union Applauds House Defeat of Farm Bill



National Taxpayer UnionThis afternoon, in a win for the nation's taxpayers, the near trillion-dollar "Farm Bill" failed to pass the House of Representatives by a vote of 195-234. National Taxpayers Union (NTU), the nation's oldest and largest taxpayer advocacy group, vociferously cheered the Farm Bill's failure after so much tireless work to defeat the measure over the past year.

"The saying goes: you reap what you sow – and opportunistic politicians found out the hard way that the massively expensive, subsidy-stuffed, Farm Bill was not a viable crop," said NTU Federal Affairs Manager Nan Swift. "Taxpayers, as well as fans of open, accountable government, will be glad to see this command-and-control boondoggle wilt."
NTU staunchly opposed the Farm Bill that failed to make it to the floor last year, and continued to rally opposition after leadership in both the Senate and House pushed for votes on a more expensive version this session.

In addition to opposing the basic premise of the Soviet-style Farm Bill, NTU backed reform efforts to split the food stamp and farm management portions of the legislation, delete wasteful programs like the Sheep Industry Improvement Center (taxpayer loans for sheep farming), and reduce and means-test crop insurance windfalls.

NTU also spearheaded a campaign to counter the Farm Bill's new Dairy Market Stabilization Program, with YourMilkMoney.org. This radical regulatory scheme would have driven up consumer prices for dairy products. The House bill's demise, along with the passage of an amendment to curtail this dairy scheme, is therefore an even more significant victory for NTU and America's taxpayers.

"NTU thanks the 62 Republicans who broke ranks with leadership to oppose heavy-handed, and costly, management of our nation's farms," Swift concluded. "This result should demonstrate the time of big government farm policy is over – and the time to craft more fiscally responsible legislation is now."

The 362,000-member NTU is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working for lower taxes, smaller government, and economic freedom at all levels. More information on NTU's work is available at www.ntu.org.
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6.21.2013