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February 6, 2008
The Honorable Edward Schafer
Dear Mr. Secretary:
We are writing to congratulate you on being confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture and look forward to working with you to reform current farm policy. We appreciate the case Deputy Secretary Conner has been making that it is essential to bring about more reform in the House and Senate versions of the farm bill, and we support the Administration’s efforts to create a better bill in conference.
As Deputy Secretary Conner stated in a recent speech, “We don't believe that our very limited farm program dollars give us the luxury to send farm income support payments to absolutely anyone-even those people with a lot of wealth and those who may not have even seen the land from which they are collecting payments….We are also concerned about the trade-distorting effects of increasing target prices and loan rates-as both bills would do. At a time when we have record exports, record farm income, good prices, we don't need to paint a bull's eye on our farmers' backs.”
It is difficult to defend a farm bill that perpetuates large payments to wealthy farmers, that encourages the production of crops in surplus, and that continues payments to individuals who no longer farm or never did. Given current high commodity prices, it is especially difficult to support a system that promotes such inequities for farmers here and abroad.
Indeed, with record breaking prices for corn, soybean, and wheat, as well as record setting agricultural exports, it is a wonder why both the House and the Senate ignored the deluge of calls for change and instead passed a bill that perpetuates—and even increases—trade-distorting commodity subsidies.
We would like to work with you to limit trade distorting subsidies and limit the commodity payments given to wealthy land owners. It is critical to enact meaningful reform before the final farm bill is presented to President Bush. We look forward to working with you to achieve this kind of real and meaningful reform in US farm programs. We hope, together, we can foster a more just and equitable approach to US farm policy.
Sincerely,
Bread for the World
Citizens Against Government Waste
Club for Growth
Environmental Working Group
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Illinois Stewardship Alliance
Initiative for Global Development
Kansas Rural Center
National Catholic Rural Life Conference
National Peace Corps Association
National Taxpayers Union
NETWORK Oxfam America Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Washington Office
Progressive National Baptist Convention
RESULTS
Sojourners
Taxpayers for Common Sense
The Minnesota Project
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy
William C. Velasquez Institute
CC: Hunter Moorhead
CC: Deputy Secretary Conner |
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