On the recordApril 23, 1997
I look at the sugar program as one of the most egregious examples of corporate welfare that we have here in Washington. Anybody who believes in reducing the size and scope of government has to believe in getting rid of this program, phasing out this program, because the sugar program is big government at its worst. What the sugar program does is it is a cartel. I think the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey] says it is the worst cartel we have had since OPEC. It is the cartel that controls the amount of sugar available in the United States, and it does this by restricting imports in such that the price of sugar is kept almost at twice the world price. If the world price is 12 or 13 cents, in the United States we pay 22 or 23 cents a pound for sugar. It costs the American consumer $1.4 billion a year.
Source
govinfo.gov
