Another Wisconsin Congressman is joining the fight to end direct subsidies for farmers.
Democratic Congressman Ron Kind has been pushing for an end to subsidies during much of the debate on the farm bill. Now, Republican US Representative Paul Ryan is joining him, with an amendment to scale back payments over the next five years. Ryan's proposal would cap payments at $250,000 and then reduce them over the next five years.
Ryan says the farm bill should be focused on providing farmers with a safety net when commodity prices drop. He says the current version subsidizes large farming operations that don't need the billions of dollars paid out each year.
Another amendment for Ryan, Kind, and other Congressional members would cap the income level needed to qualify for subsidies. Ryan says that would help keep corporate farms from benefiting.
The Farm Bill is expected to get a full vote in the US House this week, where Ryan and Kind will introduce their amendments.