John Stephen Blasts Bloated 5-year, Nearly $300 Billion Farm Bill

MEDIA RELEASE                                                   CONTACT: For Immediate Release                                          Greg Moore (cell) April 30, 2008                                                         (603) 568-8159
John Stephen Blasts Bloated 5-year, Nearly $300 Billion Farm Bill Congressional Candidate Calls Plan "A Sack Of Rotten Potatoes For Taxpayers"
MANCHESTER, NH- 1st District Congressional Candidate John Stephen today called for a quick end to the 5-year, nearly $300 billion farm bill, the details of which recently emerged from a House and Senate conference committee and will be before both bodies for a final vote soon.  The bill includes billions of dollars in farm subsidies, which artificially raise food prices; a continuation of ethanol subsidies that also contribute to rapidly increasing food prices; continuing incentives to grow crops on bad land and no caps on payments to wealthy farmers.
"This farm bill is a sack of rotten potatoes for taxpayers," said Stephen.  "At a time when we are seeing record crop prices, which are hitting grocery shoppers right in the wallet, we should not be dumping billions of dollars into subsidies.  Americans are having a hard enough time paying for the steep increases in the supermarket that our tax dollars should not be propping up crop prices, especially with payments to the wealthiest farmers.  With this legislation, we get the privilege of paying higher taxes to raise our own food bill.  If ever there was a reason for change in Washington, this farm bill is it."
In New Hampshire's 1st District, Senators Judd Gregg and John Sununu voted against the bill in the Senate (Recorded Vote #434, 2007), while Representative Carol Shea-Porter voted in favor of the farm bill in the House (Roll Call #756, 2007).  Stephen applauded Gregg and Sununu's vote, saying that the nation could not afford to add more debt, considering the large deficit in the current fiscal year budget and more deficits projected in future years.
"At a time when we are facing a budget deficit in excess of $410 billion this year, we are in no position to be giving away billions of tax dollars in subsidies," added Stephen.  "We should be doing more to let the free market bring down the cost of food, not passing laws to keep that the price of food skyrocketing.  Look at how taking corn off of our shelves to make ethanol has driven up prices in the grocery store.  We can't continue doing this.  This farm bill has gone bad and needs to be thrown out."
Stephen is the former Commissioner of Health and Human Services. Prior to that position, he served as the Assistant Commissioner of Safety, where he also served as the state's Coordinator of Homeland Security. Stephen also served as a prosecutor for 10 years, in Hillsborough County and as an Assistant Attorney General. He is a Manchester resident