Iowa Members Support Capping Direct Payments to Farmers Making +$250K
Washington, DC - Today, Congressmen Bruce Braley, Leonard Boswell, and Dave Loebsack joined together to push back against cuts that would hurt Iowa farmers, the state's economy, and America's energy independence by slashing crop insurance and gutting renewable energy programs that encourage the harvesting of agriculture energy inputs and help rural gas stations to purchase ethanol blend pumps.
In a letter to leadership of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Federal Drug Administration, and related agencies, the Members urged the Senators to take a second look at the House's cuts to crop insurance, renewable energy programs, and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The House Members asked the Subcommittee to retain the $250,000 income cap leveled ondirect farm payments in the legislation.
"Gas prices are climbing and crippling family budgets all over this country, but Washington politicians are trying to undercut the alternative fuel industry that helps lower gas prices and creates thousands of jobs. It makes absolutely no sense," said Rep. Braley. "Hard working families and thousands of good-paying jobsdepend on this funding."
"With gas prices still high and concerns over what or who is exactly driving them up, it is outrageous to pull funding from renewable energy programs that have had an impact on reducing our country's dependence on foreign oil and created thousands of jobs, especially while still paying out subsidies to oil giants like BP and ExxonMobil," said Rep. Boswell, a senior Member of the House Agriculture Committee. "The House FY 2012 agriculture appropriations bill is short-sighted, and embodies what happens when appropriators legislate without talking to Members of the Agriculture Committee who come from agriculture states and understand what it requires to run a farm and get food to our tables."
"Renewable fuels have shown to be a critical component in our efforts to reduce our dependence onforeign oil," said Rep. Loebsack. "The House's proposed cuts to crop insurance and cuts to energy infrastructure hurt Iowa's economy and our nation's security."
A copy of the letter is available here: http://go.usa.gov/Dm7
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