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News and Views |
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Agriculture
Appropriations Subcommittee approves FY 2009 funding legislation with big
spending increases, more government interference Appropriations
Ranking Republican Jerry Lewis praised some of the provisions in the bill,
including funding for important nutrition programs at $7 billion, which is $657
million more than last year. However, Lewis also warned that the total cost of
the total legislation was too high. “Frankly,
the overall funding level for this bill is not something the American taxpayer
can afford,” Lewis said. “While there are some important, necessary programs
in this bill, in this time of economic uncertainty we should reduce – not
escalate – our spending.” Lewis
also said that there are programs in the bill that could be scaled back or
eliminated, such as the farm labor construction grants and loans, because they
are duplicative, not widely used, no longer necessary, or have a proven track
record of poor performance. “Big
government provisions, along with excessive and unnecessary spending, make this
legislation a tough pill to swallow,” Lewis said. “I look forward to working
with my fellow Committee members to improve this bill as we go through a regular
and proper appropriations process.” Click Here to Return to News & Views
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