Agricultural subsidy cuts: a small step in the right direction

Agricultural subsidy cuts: Moving in the right direction

By Vincent Smith

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) has thrown a modest deficit reduction cat among the Senate and House Agricultural Committee pigeons by announcing that the House Budget Committee wants agricultural insurance and other farm subsidies to be cut by $30 billion over the next ten years. That is $7 billion more than the $23 billion those committees thought they would have to lose in a new farm bill. So they and the agricultural lobbies who work with them are now suffering from mild conniptions.

In fact, the House Budget Committee proposal is only a small step in the right direction, although Ryan should be applauded for putting crop insurance subsidies back on the budget-cutting table. 

http://blog.american.com/2012/03/agricultural-subsidy-cuts-moving-in-the-right-direction/