ALG's Daily Grind - Why are taxpayers paying $80 billion a year for food stamps?

June 19, 2013

Why are taxpayers paying $80 billion a year for food stamps?

100 House Republicans in 2008 voted to override George W. Bush's veto of the Farm Bill that dramatically expanded eligibility for the food stamp program.

Paying back donors with 'Obamaphone' program

$2 billion a year program to give away cell phones receives new scrutiny.

Path to ending federal sugar subsidies?

Congress is considering an interesting new approach on sugar subsidies.

Eilperin: What did Holly Paz tell IRS investigators?

IRS official to congressional investigators: "political campaign intervention in 501(c)(4)s was not something we have previously dealt with very much." Then why were they so concerned about it?

CEI Today: Senate votes for Big Sugar, chemical regulation, and UN mandates on disability

SUGAR SUBSIDIES IN FARM BILL - FRAN SMITH

Another Sweet Deal for "Big Sugar" in Senate Vote

In a loss for consumers and taxpayers, Congress once again voted to continue the outdated, wasteful sugar program. The Senate voted 55-45 against a bipartisan amendment to the farm bill, cosponsored by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Mark Kirk, R-Ill., Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., and others that would have instituted much-needed reforms of the program. The amendment specifically addressed some add-ons in the 2008 farm bill that made the program even worse by further restrictions on imports, higher price supports and a costly sugar-to-ethanol program. > Read more

> Interview Fran Smith

CHEMICAL BILL - ANGELA LOGOMASINI 'Chemical Safety Improvement Act' Not, In Fact, An Improvement, Analyst Says Sens. David Vitter, R-La., and Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., surprised the Senate with their introduction of legislation to overhaul the Toxic Substances Control Act on Wednesday, and Angela Logomasini of the Competitive Enterprise Institute is not convinced this is a terrific idea. The senators say the Chemical Safety Improvement Act of 2013 would, “for the first time, ensure that all chemicals are screened for safety protect public health and the environment …” and create “an environment where manufacturers can continue to innovate, grow and create jobs.” Logomasini, a senior fellow in CEI’s Center for Energy and the Environment, says the current law did not need this kind of help. > Read more > Interview Angela Logomasini

SENATE COULD RATIFY UN DISABILITY MANDATES American Spectator: Disabling American Sovereignty The United States Senate will likely soon consider ratification the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which fell six votes short of the 67 needed last December. The CPRD’s stated purpose is “to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.” While seemingly well-intentioned, the treaty would enable an enormous increase in the potential power of UN bureaucrats over the American people and undermine national sovereignty. > Read more > Interview Iain Murray

TODAY! Wayne Crews testifies before Congress today on reauthorizing the Water Desalination Act of 1996, H.R. 745. Subcommittee on Water and Power Legislative Hearing on H.R. 255, H.R. 745, and H.R. 1963 Thursday, May 23, 2013 10:00 AM Subcommittee on Water and Power 1324 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 > View more

MORE IN THE NEWS... Self Help Africa: Why Only Profits Can Cure Poverty Firing Government Employees Is Too Hard; the Constitution Intended for It to Be Easier Five Reasons Immigration Creates Economic Benefits Possible Unintended Consequences in New Obamacare Regulation Legal Fallacy Underlies Defense of IRS Harassment by Progressives

CEI ANNUAL DINNER & GALA FEATURING THE HONORABLE RAND PAUL JUNE 20, 2013 cei.org/ceidinner

CEI is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy group dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government.  For more information about CEI, please visit our website, cei.org, and blogs, Globalwarming.org and OpenMarket.org.  Follow CEI on Twitter! Twitter.com/ceidotorg.

TEN THOUSAND COMMANDMENTS An Annual Snapshot of the Federal Regulatory State This week marks the publication of the 20th anniversary edition of the CEI’s annual survey of the federal regulatory state, Ten Thousand Commandments.  cei.org/10kc > Listen to the LibertyWeek podcast > See also: Wall Street Journal editorial, Red Tape Record Breakers

APPLY TODAY! Warren T. Brookes Journalism Fellowship CEI offers a one-year fellowship for journalists seeking to improve their knowledge of the principles of free markets and limited government.  cei.org/warrenbrookes Contact: chall@cei.org

INTERVIEW A CEI EXPERT Media Contacts: Christine Hall 202.331.2258 Nicole Ciandella 202.331.2773 Brian McNicoll CEI Experts by Issue Advancing Capitalism Constitutional and Legal Issues Energy and Environment Finance and Entrepreneurship Health and Safety Labor Nanny State Regulatory Reform Tech and Telecom Trade and International Transportation

   

Congresswoman Shea-Porter Cosponsors Sugar Reform Act

Signs on as Original Cosponsor to bill that saves consumers, taxpayers and businesses $3.5 Billion a year

Washington, DC –Yesterday, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter joined thirty-six of her colleagues in introducing the bipartisan “Sugar Reform Act.”  This bill removes unnecessary sugar subsidies that have kept sugar prices too high.  Sugar subsidies have hurt consumers and driven manufacturing jobs out of the United States, which is why this reform is supported by a broad array of business, consumer advocacy, and environmental groups.

“In Congress, we have a responsibility to protect taxpayers by rooting out waste in government,” said Congresswoman Shea-Porter.  “Sugar subsidies are unnecessary.  We can find significant savings by eliminating programs like this one.”

###

Background:

Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Mark Kirk sponsored companion legislation in the Senate. 

The Sugar Reform Act would:

• Repeal unnecessary trade restrictions.  The 2008 Farm Bill restricted the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture to allow additional sugar imports when needed in the U.S. market.  The 2008 Farm Bill required USDA to set import quotas (also known as tariff-rate quotas) at a legal minimum each year, with very limited flexibility to then respond to changing market conditions as needed.  This bill would repeal these unnecessary restrictions that have further restricted supply, providing greater flexibility to those implementing the program.
• Repeal the Feedstock Flexibility Program.  The 2008 Farm Bill added a $193 million program that requires the government to buy surplus sugar, and then sell that sugar to ethanol companies at a loss.  This bill would save taxpayers from footing the bill for keeping prices high.
• Eliminate higher price support levels.  The 2008 Farm Bill facilitated higher price supports for sugar growers.  Reducing these rates would help put prices back in line with historic levels and reduce liability for taxpayers.
• Reform domestic supply restrictions to provide more flexibility to USDA.  This bill would eliminate the current artificial guarantee of 85 percent of consumption and ensure that the current program is administered with sugar-using industries also in mind.  In addition, the bill would restore the Secretary of Agriculture’s authority to modify or suspend these domestic marketing allotments.

• Provide flexibility to USDA in administering quotas.  This bill would also give USDA more flexibility in administering the import quota system.  The bill encourages greater efficiency by allowing qualifying countries to trade their quotas among themselves on a temporary and voluntary basis.  In addition, the amendment establishes a target stocks-to-use ratio for USDA to ensure that implementation of the federal government’s sugar policy is transparent and consistent.
• Provide savings.  The federal sugar program has cost consumers and businesses an estimated $14 billion over the last 4 years.

CEI Today: Farm Bill sugar subsidies, highway bill, and the left-wing attack on ALEC

FARM BILL & SUGAR SUBSIDIES - FRAN SMITH

DailyCaller.com: Sugar program isn’t sweet for consumers or the economy

Don’t look now, but here comes the farm bill, one of those catch-all legislative behemoths littered with wasteful programs and supported by entrenched special interests. The bill comes up for reauthorization every five years and is a lobbyist’s dream — impacting everything from farm subsidies to food safety — and industry and interest groups are working furiously to protect their sacred cows, so to speak.

Given the inability of Congress to agree on much — and the fact that this is an election year — most observers give a new farm bill little chance of passing. Rather, it’s likely that Congress will kick the can down the road by passing an extension of current law. Wasteful spending on unnecessary programs will continue, and an opportunity will be missed — hurting U.S. consumers, taxpayers and workers. > View the full commentary on DailyCaller.com

> Interview Fran Smith

 

HIGHWAY BILL - MARC SCRIBNER Globalwarming.org.org: Everything about the Transportation Bills Is Bad Except for the Energy Parts, Which Are Great By a 293-127 vote, the House of Representatives yesterday adopted a short-term extension of the federal highway bill. Fourteen Republicans voted against it, while sixty-nine Democrats voted for passage. The original highway bill, known as the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, was enacted in 2005. Yesterday’s action was the 10th extension passed by the House since the original SAFETEA-LU surface transportation law expired in 2009. The House’s bill would extend highway funding for 90 days. In March, the Senate passed a bill that would extend it for 2 years. Next, House and Senate leaders from both parties will convene a conference committee, through which they’ll try to hammer out compromise language acceptable to both Congressional chambers. Alas, it is extremely likely that little good will come of the Conference, at least with regards to transportation policy. > Read the full commentary on Globalwarming.org > Interview Marc Scribner

ALEC & STAND YOUR GROUND LAWS - HANS BADER Openmarket.org: ALEC Unfairly Demonized Over “Stand Your Ground” Laws The pro-free-market American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is under fire for its support of self-defense laws, known as “Stand Your Ground” laws. The campaign against ALEC is an attempt to drive the marketplace out of the marketplace of ideas. ALEC’s critics and the Times complain that it is partly “corporate funded.” Strangely, ALEC’s critics have no problem with the fact that ALEC’s liberal cousin, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), is government-funded. It makes little sense to allow the government to lobby for more largesse and immunities for itself (which can happen through NCSL), while blocking corporations — which are associations of persons — from lobbying. > Read the full commentary & legal analysis at Openmarket.org > Interview Hans Bader

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