Senator Charles Grassley Says Any Hope for Payment Limits Rests with Super Committee
Iowa lawmaker says lack of broad based support in agriculture will make it tough.
Compiled by staff
Published: Nov 15, 2011
Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, joined with Senator Tim Johnson, D-S.D., to request that the deficit reduction committee find $1.5 billion in savings by including legislation they introduced this summer to place a hard cap on farm payments at $250,000 per married couple.
The Senators have not received any response from the Super Committee and given that the leadership of both Ag Committees is working on Farm Bill policy recommendations for that committee, Grassley says it won't be easy to get the payment limits he's been trying to secure for many years.
"I would expect that, that it is going to be tough getting it through Southern agriculture, but it is something we're not going to give up on," Grassley said. "One way or the other it's been proposed by both Democrat and Republican Presidents so the principle of payment limits I think has broad based support, but the trouble is it doesn't have broad based support within agriculture and this bill is going to be written by aggies more so than the broad base of the Congress."
So Grassley says his hope for payment limits rests with the super committee.
"The super committee can add or subtract from any suggestions that any one individual or any one committee gives to them," Grassley said.
Grassley has said the payment limit legislation he introduced with Senator Johnson maintains the much needed safety net for farmers so the American people have a safe, abundant and inexpensive food supply.
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Tagged: farm, farm bill, southern agriculture
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