March 10, 2010 9:48AM 

# A $1.1 Billion Re-Election Campaign. For the Senate. 

By [Sallie James](https://www.cato.org/people/sallie-james) 

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When Rep. Collin Peterson (D- Minn. and Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee) pronounces that a farm program is too generous, you know you’ve crossed a line.

But that’s what happened recently after Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D‑Ark), Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman and — oh, hey, how about that? — facing a tough re-election battle in November proposed an extra $1.1 billion in emergency farm aid be added to a jobs/​tax/​unemployment/​kitchen sink bill going through the Senate this week. These extra handouts would flow despite the fact that the 2008 farm bill contained “reforms” (the so-called “permanent disaster” program) ostensibly to put an end to politically-motivated *ad hoc* emergency aid of just the type that Senator Lincoln is pushing now.

For those who can stomach it, [this](http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Issues/Budget-Impact/2010/03/08/Farmer-Could-Reap-Big-Subsidies.aspx) excellent article by Dan Morgan, one of the nation’s best agriculture journalists, contains plenty of background information.

##### Related Tags 

[Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy), [Trade Policy](https://www.cato.org/trade-policy), [Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies](https://www.cato.org/herbert-stiefel-center-trade-policy-studies) 

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