Mark Pocan: “I am in disbelief over the ridiculously low spending levels proposed by the Republicans in the Agriculture…”

“I am in disbelief over the ridiculously low spending levels proposed by the Republicans in the Agriculture appropriations bill. They slashed funding to 2001 levels, funding from over 20 years ago. That is a 41 percent cut, $10 billion, to the people that feed America, our farmers. I don't see how any Member of Congress who represents rural America can show this much disrespect to their constituents. Certainly no Member from Wisconsin. Here are a few examples of what the bill does: It zeroes out the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives completely, from $25 million to nothing. That is assistance for new and growing dairy businesses that want to get products like milk and specialty cheeses to market. If you are an economically distressed farmer, of which, unfortunately, there are plenty, this strips assistance for 104,000 farm loan borrowers. If you are a farmer who uses the Farm Service Agency for things like loans or disaster relief, this bill cuts FSA in addition to conservation programs like EQUIP that help farmers improve their operations and output. If you get energy assistance as a farmer, good luck with that. The REAP fund will be cut by over $500 million, making your energy costs go up in rural America. If you farm and supply food through international food programs, you are really out of luck because they cut it by $1.2 billion, a 69 percent cut.…”