Peterson: Ag Spending Bill another Assault on Agriculture

Peterson: Ag Spending Bill another Assault on Agriculture

WASHINGTON – U.S. House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin C. Peterson, D-Minn., made the following statement after the House of Representatives approved H.R. 2112, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012. Peterson voted against the legislation.

“Agriculture is under assault in this Congress. We first saw it with the Ryan budget, which cut $178 billion from agriculture programs. And today, Congress approved a bill that makes disproportionate cuts to agriculture, including vital conservation and nutrition programs. Additionally, the bill includes an unprecedented nearly $2 billion in changes to mandatory spending, taking funds from carefully negotiated farm bill programs. Furthermore, the funds that would allow the CFTC to move ahead with financial reforms and bring about a more open and transparent derivatives market were slashed.

“I fear that if Congress continues to chip away at farm programs we will be left without an adequate safety net and the end result could potentially cost the government more money, not less.”