Ed Royce: “Mr. Chairman, the Market Access Program is the leftover product of two previously failed USDA programs, the Market…”

“Mr. Chairman, the Market Access Program is the leftover product of two previously failed USDA programs, the Market Promotion Program and the Targeted Export Assistance Program, and MAP funnels tax dollars to corporate trade associations and cooperatives to advertise private products overseas. Now, let me reiterate my position here. I think advertising is a function of the private sector, not of the taxpayers. While proponents of the program claim that it boosts exports, claims that it creates jobs, there is no evidence to support it. General Accounting Office studies indicate that this program has no discernible effect on U.S. agricultural exports. The private sector knows how to advertise. It does not need government interference. Taxpayer dollars merely replace money that would be spent by private companies on their own advertising. Provisions in the 1996 farm bill have attempted to reform MAP, but thus far have failed. The GAO audit and other audits find it overstated, inconclusive, and speculative in terms of its effect.”