Letters

June 02, 2008

An Open Letter to Congress: Taxpayers Oppose Title III of the Farm Bill

Dear Member of Congress:

On behalf of the millions of taxpayers represented by our respective organizations, we write in opposition to Title III of the Farm Bill. The clerical errors that resulted in Title III being left out of the Farm Bill language vetoed by the President present a second chance for Members to demonstrate a small semblance of fiscal responsibility. We ask you to vote against Title III should it come to the floor for consideration.

While many of the undersigned organizations opposed the Farm Bill in its entirety because it failed to reform wasteful crop subsidies and doled out taxpayer dollars to special interests, we believe that Title III is worthy of rejection on its own. Here are just some of the section's objectionable spending and trade provisions:

Spends $200 million annually for the Market Access Program and extends the Foreign Market Development Program. These wasteful programs are a blatant source of corporate welfare. Taxpayers shouldn't be footing the bill for crop manufacturers and food processors to market their goods abroad.

Imposes a "U.S. Importer Declaration Program" on the timber trade that is little more than a sop to domestic logging interests who want to keep out low-cost products from international competitors. The practical outcomes of this misguided policy could include increased housing costs.

Requires USAID to make a contribution of up to $60 million over the next five years to a doomsday "seed bank" in Norway. The federal government's massive overspending problem is a much more immediate threat to the United States' well-being.

Provides $84 million in mandatory funding for the McGovern-Dole food program in 2009. Many taxpayers object to sending their hard-earned dollars abroad when recipient countries could be doing much more to promote domestic economic reforms that would lessen the demand for aid.

Includes a $60 million pilot program to evaluate local procurement of international food aid while at the same time loosening the cap on funds used to transport U.S. food aid for storage overseas.

Mandates a "safe box" that directs money (beginning at $375 million in 2009 and reaching $450 million in 2012) meant for food aid to more general development purposes.

Members of Congress who value taxpayer rights have few reasons to support these provisions. Please take a stand for the people who pay the government's bills and work to defeat Title III of the Farm Bill.

Sincerely,

Duane Parde National Taxpayers Union	Andrew Quinlan Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Tom Schatz Council for Citizens Against Government Waste	William Westmiller Republican Liberty Caucus
Pat Toomey Club for Growth	William Redpath Libertarian Party
Grover Norquist Americans for Tax Reform	Dane vonBreichenruchardt U.S. Bill of Rights Foundation
Matt Kibbe FreedomWorks	Jim Babka DownsizeDC.org, Inc.
Jeffrey Mazzella Center for Individual Freedom	Jon Coupal Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
Lew Uhler The National Tax Limitation Committee	John Hallman Florida Taxpayers Union
Thomas McClusky Family Research Council	Kevin McLaughlin Iowans for Discounted Taxes
Karl Peterjohn Kansas Taxpayers Network	Jerry Cantrell New Jersey Taxpayers Association
Brett Gaspard Kentucky Taxpayers Union	Ben Cunningham Tennessee Tax Revolt
Dee Hodges Maryland Taxpayers Association	Richard Rider San Diego Tax Fighters (CA)
Phil Krinkie Taxpayers League of Minnesota	Bud Miller Alexandria Taxpayers United (VA)
Tom Martz Missouri Liberty Coalition	Joan Falcone Taxpayers Association of Brandywine (PA)
Doug Kagan Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom	Richard Parins Brown County Taxpayers Association (WI)

Signed after June 2, 2008

Steve Baldwin
CNP Action, Inc.

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