Robbing Peter ....

Wow. The Senate Finance Committee has some chutzpah. Visiting with a couple of industry lobbyists today, I understand that one way that the Senate Fiance Committee is looking to generate revenue to keep the farm programs intact, create a permanent disaster relief program and throw a few crumbs to other priorities is by removing the business tax detectability for H2A workers. You have got to be kidding me.

So the government wants to take away a huge business deduction while at the same time the Department of Homeland Security is set to begin enforcing the no-match rule on agricultural employers. Uncle Sam wants to eliminate workers with false documents while wringing more tax from growers who go through the proper channels for H2A workers.

Produce industry lobbyists should try to bring down the whole farm subsidy program if the Senate Finance Committee jobs them like that. One assumes this bad policy will be beaten back, but we will know more on Thursday, when the committee is expected to meet and come up with definitive financing for the farm bill.