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Reid’s Farm Bill Is Wasteful

If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has his way, Americans may get another important law we have to read in order to know what it contains. That didn’t work well the last time around, with “Obamacare.”

A new five-year farm bill is being debated on Capitol Hill. Once again, lawmakers will have the opportunity to save taxpayers billions of dollars a year by eliminating programs such as those that pay farmers not to grow anything.

Will Congress do the right thing? The outlook is not promising.

Haste and pressure to pass something – anything – are the enemies of fiscal discipline in Washington.

The House of Representatives has passed an extension of the current farm bill, until the end of January. Lawmakers there do not want to be pressured into approving a bill they don’t understand or don’t like, just because of a deadline.

But Reid, D-Nev., has refused to allow the Senate to consider an extension. He insists one is not necessary. Some liberal senators note an extension would reduce pressure to approve a new farm bill.

Precisely.

Moderate and conservative senators should see Reid’s strategy for what it is, and refuse to be pressured into approving five more years of incredibly wasteful, irresponsible farm program spending.

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