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Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Ralph Norman and Congressman Paul Gosar introduced H.R. 5629, the President Trump’s Farm Bill Reforms Act of 2018. This bill would save taxpayers an estimated $28.6 billion over the next ten years by enacting the common sense reforms to traditional farm program and crop insurance premium subsides outlined in the President’s budget for fiscal year 2019.
Congressman Norman has released the following statement:
"If we are serious about tackling our nation’s spending problem, then we cannot be afraid to enact the common sense reforms to our farm safety net that were outlined in President Trump’s budget for fiscal year 2019. Congressman Gosar and myself are proud of the support that this bill has already earned from respected conservative groups like the R Street Institute, FreedomWorks, Taxpayers for Common Sense, and the National Taxpayers Union and we look forward to continuing to advocate for reining in taxpayer spending on farm subsidies without jeopardizing the generous safety net that our nation provides to farmers.”
Caroline Kitchens, Federal Affairs Manager at the R Street Institute issued the following statement in support of H.R. 5629:
"With farm bill reauthorization on the horizon, now is the time to enact commonsense reforms to right-size the farm safety net. The reforms represented in this bill are a crucial first step for ending the cronyism and waste rampant in our farm-support programs."
Adam Brandon, President of FreedomWorks issued the following statement in support of H.R. 5629:
“H.R. 5629 would reform and modernize the subsidies the federal government grants as a part of its omnibus Farm Bill. In the House Agriculture Committee’s latest Farm Bill proposal, there are no meaningful steps to resolve the wasteful, anti-free market subsidies that are added to the bill each time it is renewed. These subsidies cost the taxpayer billions of dollars and do not accomplish their stated goal of helping farmers in need. The reforms spelled out in this bill … do not hurt farmers, but ensure that the subsidies are given out efficiently, and to those who actually need it. Struggling farmers are not benefitting from farm subsidies, but instead the wealthiest farm corporations are padding their profits with taxpayer money. It needs to end. H.R. 5629 will lead to a marked improvement of the agricultural marketplace.”
Joshua Sewell, Senior Policy Analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense issued the following statement in support of H.R. 5629:
“Taxpayers for Common Sense applauds Congressmen Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) for introducing President Trump’s Farm Bill Reforms Act of 2018, which includes proposals from the President’s 2019 budget request. House aggies conveniently forgot to include these common sense reforms to help create a more cost-effective, transparent financial safety net for agricultural businesses in their recent Farm Bill. The Norman-Gosar bill is a great step toward creating a federal financial safety net for agriculture that taxpayers can afford – it slightly trims federal crop insurance subsidies, closes loopholes that allow certain commodity growers to evade subsidy payment limits, and targets federal financial assistance to only those businesses with less than $500,000 in income. It stands in stark contrast to the bloated House Farm Bill – which increases spending on over-budget agricultural income entitlement programs, opens even more subsidy payment loopholes, and increases Washington’s footprint in farming and ranching. We look forward to working with Reps. Norman and Gosar to implement these common sense reforms to make federal agriculture policy work better for consumers,
communities affected by agricultural production, and taxpayers.”
National Taxpayers Union issued the following statement in support of H.R. 5629:
“National Taxpayers Union applauds Representatives Norman (R-SC) and Gosar (R-AZ) for their leadership in introducing the “President Trump’s Farm Bill Reforms Act of 2018.” If enacted, these reforms would modernize the agricultural safety net, while cutting wasteful spending, limiting excess taxpayer exposure to risk, and reducing the prevalence of crony capitalism. These common-sense reforms, recommended by the Office of Management and Budget, have broad support among free market organizations. As the President’s budget is an expression of national priorities, these reforms warrant serious consideration in the ongoing Farm Bill debate. NTU is pleased to support this legislation.”
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