The following is from editorial in the San Jose Mercury News:
One of the most unlikely political pairings in U.S. history has kept farms profitable and poverty-stricken families from being hungry for the past four decades.
Thanks to a partnership liberal Sen. George McGovern and conservative Sen. Bob Dole struck in the 1970s, urban legislators for decades have agreed to support ag subsidy programs in exchange for rural legislators' support for food stamp and nutrition programs.
Sensible cuts to food stamps and particularly to some farm subsidy programs are in order. The Senate has agreed to a compromise that would remove $4 billion from nutrition programs and reduce ag subsidies by nearly the same amount, a reasonable compromise.
On Thursday House Republicans passed an alternative bill that stripped out food stamps entirely, but they have no hope of passing it in the Senate.
The main five-year, $500 billion farm bill hangs in the balance. Farm subsidies will end Sept. 30 if no agreement is struck. Expect the price of milk and other dairy products to rise substantially if nothing is done. Without a farm bill agreement, 50 million Americans who rely on nutrition programs will be at risk of losing them.
Senate and House leaders thought they had reached an agreement earlier this month, but it fell apart after a draconian amendment from Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., demanding food stamp recipients meet more stringent requirements. Essentially, those who couldn't find a job or enter a worker training program would go hungry.
The philosophical divide initiated by House Republicans will hurt Americans. Congress needs leaders such as Dole and McGovern — not only to forge a compromise on a farm bill, but that would be a good place to start.