Heritage Action, along with more than a dozen other free market organizations, wrote an open letter to the U.S. House of Representatives urging lawmakers not to pass a long-term farm bill in the lame duck session. The farm bill, as it currently exists, violates conservative principles and free market principles in a number of ways and is need of a great deal of reform. The letter is below and can also be found here.
November 13, 2012
An Open Letter to the House: No Farm Bill in the Lame Duck!
Dear Representative,
Our organizations urge you to oppose consideration of a five-year
Farm Bill in a lame duck session of Congress and to ensure that any
extension of current law does not include renewal of direct payments.
While our organizations have varying goals for farm and food policy,
we are united in our conviction that this Congress cannot and should
not address a Farm Bill that could cost taxpayers nearly $1 trillion over
the next ten years in a lame duck session. A five-year bill will have
sweeping fiscal, social, and environmental impacts and should be the
result of careful and transparent deliberation. In our view, this
Congress simply does not have the time to undertake such legislation
this year.
We urge you to honor your commitment to ensure that any farm and
food legislation, including any extension, be subject to open rules so
that legislators will have the opportunity to offer perfecting
amendments.
Sincerely,
Andrew Moylan, R Street Institute
Ryan Alexander, Taxpayers for Common Sense
Phil Kerpen, American Commitment
Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform
James Valvo, Americans for Prosperity
Tim Lee, Center for Individual Freedom
Chris Chocola, Club for Growth
Mattie Duppler, Cost of Government Center
Tom Schatz, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Matt Kibbe, FreedomWorks
Tim Chapman, Heritage Action for America
Duane Parde, National Taxpayers Union
David Williams, Taxpayers Protection Alliance