Cuts in farm subsidies rejected, for now
The U.S. House Thursday approved a 13 percent cut in a federal program that provides food assistance for low-income women, infants and children, but rejected further cuts proposed by some GOP conservatives.
View full sizeSugarcane harvest in Sorrel was photographed in January 2009. Democrats said the $600 million reduction for the WIC program, and cuts in other food support programs, would cause hardships when the struggling economy has made more Americans dependent on federal aid, while doing nothing to rein in expensive subsidies for large corporate farms.
But Republicans said cuts are needed to begin reducing record federal deficits. They promised to examine farm support programs, such as the sugar price supports popular with Louisiana sugar refiners and growers, later this year.
"For every dollar we spend, 40 cents is borrowed," said Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga. "Now, both parties have fingerprints all over this. We have all overspent."
The agriculture spending bill, he said, reflects "difficult choices" being made by the new GOP House majority.
Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, and other Democrats predicted the cuts would force the Department of Agriculture to turn away people from the WIC program, taking away benefits from 3,400 to 5,900 families in Louisiana.
"In the middle of these tough economic times, how can we tell those in need that they don't deserve to have a healthy baby?" Richmond said.
Natalie Jayroe, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, said the cuts in the House spending bill would cost her agency 3 million meals a year.
"We would find it very difficult to replace them and deal with such deep cuts at a time when demand for our services is so high," Jayroe said. She said 263,000 people receive help from her agency in 23 Louisiana parishes.
The $125.5 billion spending bill, which faces major opposition in the Democratic-led Senate, passed 217-203. Nineteen Republicans joining all 184 Democrats in voting no. Richmond, the delegation's only Democrat, cast the only Louisiana vote against the bill, with all six Republicans voting yes.
With the help of some Republicans, the House defeated more than a dozen proposals calling for deeper cuts than those included in the spending bill passed out two weeks ago by the House Appropriations Committee.
One measure, sponsored by Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., a physician, called for an additional 10 percent cut in the Women, Infants and Children' food program. It went down 64-360, with Reps. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson; Jeff Landry, R-New Iberia; and John Fleming, R-Minden, voting for the amendment. Republican Reps. Rodney Alexander of Quitman, Charles Boustany of Lafayette and Bill Cassidy of Baton Rouge joined Richmond in voting no.
Scalise won passage of his amendment that would bar the Department of Agriculture from using federal funds to study and implement policies designed to reduce global warming.
"Not only is this a waste of taxpayer dollars, but it will lead to higher costs and lost jobs for farmers, while also increasing the price of food on American families at a time when we can least afford it," Scalise said.
Other provisions in the House-approved bill:
- Would bar the federal government from investing in new gas pumps designed to accommodate gas with more than 10 percent ethanol.
- Would halt $12.2 million monthly payments to Brazil ordered by the World Trade Organization for what the agency said was unfair restrictions on cotton exports from that South American nation to the United States. Supporters of the measure said the United States shouldn't be required to subsidize Brazil's cotton industry, but opponents said it would trigger a trade war and make it harder to impose penalties on unfair trade practices by other countries, including charges that China and Vietnam flooded the U.S. market with underpriced shrimp.
- Would cut $30 million from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which Republicans said was "modest" given the huge federal deficits. Democrats said it would make it harder for the agency to investigate commodity price increases for oil and other products caused by speculation and manipulation of markets.
Bruce Alpert can be reached at balpert@timespicayune.com or 202.857.5131.