Lucas Claims Victory With Latest Farm Bill

From Congressman Lucas’s blast email today:

Friends,

I’m pleased to report to you that we’ve won a major victory for fiscal conservatism and limited government. Late last week, President Obama signed into law the Agricultural Act of 2014, a landmark piece of legislation that reduces the deficit $23 billion, repeals or consolidates almost 100 government programs, and reforms the “food stamp” program for the first time in a generation.

As most of you know I have spent much time and devoted much energy over the past four years to reforming federal agriculture programs. As the first Oklahoman to serve as Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee I embarked upon this process convicted that our state’s conservative, common-sense approach to public policy could bring about needed changes in an area of government that had, in some ways, not been updated since President Clinton was in the White House.

You can read the legislation in its entirety here, but a few highlights of this new law include:

– Repeals direct payments that went to farmers regardless of whether they actually grew food and fiber.

– Provides relief from duplicative federal regulations to businesses across the nation.

– SNAP (food stamp) reforms that lower the costs of the program due to mandatory spending reductions–literally shrinking the size and cost of the federal government.

More of the cost-saving reforms that we’ve enacted in this law can be read about here.

Make no mistake: had we not taken the actions we did the abuses and uncontrollable growth in SNAP programs would have continued unchecked; we also would have seen the taxpayers left on the hook for the re-implementation of the New Deal-era “permanent” farm programs that would wreak havoc on the market and dramatically impact the prices of food on the grocery store shelf. While the political realities in Washington limited this effort to finding a consensus, and while I certainly would have liked to enact even more significant changes to these programs, I am very pleased that this bipartisan law was achieved through the open processes and regular order that the voters demanded in the 2010 and 2012 elections. It is a great first step in “walking the walk” of restoring conservative, Constitutional principles to the work we do on your behalf in the nation’s capital.

As always, please stay in touch and learn more about my work on your behalf via e-mail, frank@frankdlucas.com, and be sure to “Like!” my Facebook page and follow me, @FrankDLucas, on Twitter. I continue to consider myself blessed to represent you in Washington.