The rhetoric from defenders of Washington’s heavy-handed role in agriculture reached a peak during recent House debate on a nearly $1 trillion farm bill. Whether it was coming from lobbyists representing the crop insurance industry or the leadership of the House Committee on Agriculture itself, much misinformation, distortions, and fear mongering met even modest efforts to improve the bloated bill. 

While the bill was defeated 195-234, further efforts to pass a farm bill are sure to come soon.

Here and in the coming days we will help to cut through the spin thrown out by defenders of a business-as-usual farm bill. With nearly $17 trillion of debt, taxpayers need Congress to rethink Washington’s role in managing our tax dollars. Instead of dragging their feet on deficit reduction or responding only to parochial pleas, lawmakers must make tough decisions to reform agricultural policy in a way to make it more cost-effective, transparent, responsive, and accountable to taxpayers.

• Math Like Chairman Lucas’s is the Reason We Have a $17 Trillion Debt

Cherry picking numbers is no way to run a program.

• Rhetoric on Adjusted Gross Income Grossly Distorts the Facts

Farm Bill defenders need to adjust their grossly incorrect arguments.