LoBiondo: Farm Bill Neglects S. Jersey Farmers; Dems Hit Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo (R-2nd) on Friday voted against H.R. 2419, the “Farm Bill Extension Act of 2007,” “due to the excessive federal assistance it would give to Mid-west and Southern farmers while neglecting South Jersey farmers,” he stated in a release. A Democratic response is posted at the end of LoBiondo’s release.
“Yet again, the Farm Bill rewards a select few with billions of taxpayer dollars. This bill failed to remedy the egregious practice of handing out substantial subsides to crops such as sugar and cotton – in fact, those subsidies will increase. Nor does the bill provide enough federal support for specialty crops and conservation programs,” said LoBiondo.
“I am strongly opposed to the explicit intention to favor large, agro-business corporations rather than promote our small or medium and family-farms,” he added.
As written in the Farm Bill, 50 percent of available federal funds would go to farms and agro-business in roughly 20 Congressional districts across the country, while 45 percent of crop insurance funding would go to insurance companies rather than farmers.
During this week’s debate on the Farm Bill, LoBiondo voted in support of the Kind-Flake amendment which would have added $1.6 billion for specialty crops and healthy food programs; increased conservation programs by $3 billion; and spread out federal funds to 348 Congressional districts.
The Kind-Flake amendment failed 117 to 307.
Additionally, LoBiondo was angered by the inclusion of a provision in the final bill that would rewrite the guidelines for distribution of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rural development grants by allowing seasonal increases in population to be used in determining eligibility of federal funding.
Seasonal visitors, such as those to the Jersey Shore, however, do not contribute to the overall tax base of those communities.
“Due to the limited tax base, small communities such as Wildwood and Hammonton rely on USDA grants for necessary infrastructure improvements, such as sewer replacement projects, that ensure the public health is not placed at risk. By allowing the seasonal population growth to be considered, many South Jersey communities would be unfairly singled out and ineligible for rural development funding,” concluded LoBiondo.
Reauthorized every five years, LoBiondo also voted against the 2002 Farm Bill.
DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE TO FRIDAY’S VOTE by LoBIONDO:
:
The following is a response to LoBiondo’s vote from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:
U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo opposed protecting the income of family farmers growing commodities.
“Frank LoBiondo’s vote hurts the farmers he was elected to represent,” said Jennifer Crider, Communications Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Family farmers are critical to America’s economy, Representative LoBiondo should make it easier for family farmers to sustain their livelihoods, not harder.”
Background
· The Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) extends federal farm, nutrition assistance, rural development, and agricultural trade programs for five years.
· It authorizes subsidies to farmers of 25 different commodities, including corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, cotton, sugar, peanuts, grain sorghum, barley, oats, wool, mohair, honey, dry peas, lentils, small chickpeas, and dairy products.
· It also ensures that federal subsidies go directly to family farmers instead of agri-corporations by capping assistance at those who have earned an average income of $1 million over the past three years.
· The Farm Bill is supported by most of America’s major farmers’ organizations, including: the National Farmers Union, the American Farm Bureau, and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.