Jeb Hensarling: “I thank the gentleman for yielding, Mr. Chairman. I come here to the House floor as the son, grandson, and great…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding, Mr. Chairman. I come here to the House floor as the son, grandson, and great- grandson of farmers. I grew up working on a farm in rural Texas, and I strongly oppose Federal subsidies to agriculture in general and the sugar program in particular. Under the Federal sugar program, which dates back to the New Deal, domestic sugar prices are propped up via a Byzantine system of marketing, allotments, import quotas, price supports, and a loan guarantee program so bad it would make a Soviet commissar blush. This may be a sweet deal for sugar producers, but it is not a sweet deal for the auto mechanic in Mesquite, Texas; the store clerk in Mineola, Texas; or the teacher in Garland, Texas, that I represent in the Fifth District. Where is their government subsidy program? This is antijob. It is a food tax. It is income redistribution at its worst. And it is not commensurate with any free market principle I know. Mr. Chairman, I urge all Members to support the amendment.”