President Bush appears to be slowly closing in on one of the most impressive achievements of his two terms in office: forcing reforms in a U.S. agriculture policy that is anti-taxpayer, unhealthy and unfair to many of our trading partners.
The vehicle for this achievement is the giant five-year farm bill now before Congress. Lawmakers reached agreement this week on a nearly $300 billion measure that retains massive subsidies to farmers at a time when their income is at an all-time high. The subsidies spur excessive production of corn, wheat and soybeans – the key ingredients in the cheap high-fat, high-sugar, high-calorie processed foods that are the bane of Americans' diet.
Even though the bill includes many concessions to Bush – including a ban on additional payments to farmers making more than $750,000 a year – the president immediately announced he would veto it. Because the reform bandwagon is growing – especially in the Senate – a veto is very likely to be sustained. And so more concessions appear inevitable, with the final result a farm bill that does a much better job of striking a balance between the interests of farmers and the public.
If only Bush had shown such spine on other appropriation bills his first seven years in office, federal finances would be in much better shape. Instead, he appeared to share Vice President Dick Cheney's bizarre view that “deficits don't matter.” But better late than never.
