[image from EWG]

Turning a deaf ear to the grassroots efforts for farm bill reform, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s now pushing a farm bill “would keep multibillion-dollar subsidies flowing to cotton, corn and a handful of other crops,” the SF Chronicle reports.

Pelosi’s plan and “would grant subsidies to farmers earning up to $1 million — five times more than the cap sought by the Bush administration — while increasing actual payments to farmers.” Apparently, Pelosi’s move’s intended “to preserve the re-election prospects of freshman Democrats in rural districts.”

Luckily, the fight is far from over. Marc R. at The Ethicurian notes that “The Senate has barely started and after the two houses have their final vote, the conference committee between the bodies will need to reconcile the different bills.”

And Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis) has promised to lead a rebellion to amend the bill in the House, though as Ken Cook of EWG points out, the farm bill’s being rushed to the floor July 26 so all amendments have to be delivered to the Rules Committee by 6 pm on July 24. If approved, the amendments’ll only get limited debate and a vote on the House floor.

What to do:
1. Contact Nancy Pelosi and let her know you don’t support her plan.
2. Contact your own representative and let them know you want the farm bill plan amended — that’s Waxman for many of you.

Update, 7/28/07: Sad — Pelosi’s Farm Bill passes, by a vote of 231 to 191. Rep. Kind’s proposed amendment “to reform the subsidy system garnered only 117 votes. Kind was backed by consumer, environmental, religious and anti-hunger groups.”

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