Costly Crops: Opportunities to Reform the Farm Bill

Capitol Hill Briefing
May 11, 2018 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EDT

2044 Rayburn House Office Building

Featuring Scott Faber, Vice President of Government Affairs, Environmental Working Group; Daren Bakst, Senior Research Fellow in Agricultural Policy, The Heritage Foundation; and Chris Edwards, Editor, Down​siz​ing​Gov​ern​ment​.org, Cato Institute; moderated by Matt Weibel, Director of Government Affairs, Cato Institute.

Congress is considering a major farm bill this year to extend the current multi‐​billion‐​dollar array of subsidies. The last farm bill — in 2014 — created two new crop subsidy programs that have cost more than promised. Meanwhile, the crop insurance program has soared in cost and provides handouts to millionaire farm households. There is also concern that crop subsidies harm the environment and undermine America’s international trade relationships.

In the wake of the bloated omnibus bill and rising deficits, will Republicans support more giveaways to well‐​off farmers? And will the Trump administration defend its proposed agricultural reforms and push back against subsidy advocates in Congress?

Join us as our panel of experts explores these issues and outlines common‐​sense reforms to the farm bill.