Ron Kind: “I thank my friend for yielding. I rise in opposition to the rule and to the underlying bill because it is a missed…”

“I thank my friend for yielding. I rise in opposition to the rule and to the underlying bill because it is a missed opportunity. I had offered numerous, fiscally responsible reform amendments to improve the bill, all of which were rejected last night. For instance, why is a farm entity with an adjusted gross income of over $500,000 a year still receiving taxpayer subsidies under this bill? Why can't we at least track the crop insurance premium subsidy payments to the individual entities? Right now, that is currently prohibited under the bill. That is not right. The American taxpayer deserves to see how their tax dollars are being run. Why are we eliminating the entire Conservation Stewardship Program when three out of every four farmers applying for conservation funding assistance today are denied because of inadequacy of funds? This farm bill should be about helping our family farmers succeed, not a sop to powerful special interests here in Washington. That is why this is a missed opportunity.”