Marie Hornbein

Spring Mills

Representative Glenn Thompson has accomplished something few politicians have — his recent farm bill drew stinging criticism from both conservatives and liberals.

The major sticking point is that tens of billions of dollars in subsidies would primarily flow to a few thousand of America’s wealthiest cotton, rice and peanut farmers–i.e. big agribusiness–and the money would most likely be siphoned from climate funds or food aid.

Conservatives say the bill is a guarantee, not a safety net, that will distort the markets. Instead of aiding farmers on the margins, it would expand support for successful operations, advantage farmers of specific crops and dole out automatic payments no matter what the market does.

Progressives also say these taxpayer-funded subsidies protect unsustainable forms of farming that have made our food system more vulnerable, less diversified–and our food more expensive and less nutritious!

Both Left and Right oppose the bill’s funding plan, which would increase the deficit. Thompson proposes offsetting costs by cutting funds to help farmers deal with the impacts of climate change, and to feed low-income Americans, including families here in rural Pennsylvania.

Thompson masquerades as an advocate for rural Pennsylvanians. Don’t be fooled. He prioritizes corporate profits over hungry children, champions large corporations over family farms, refuses to address the dangers of climate change, which is altering growing seasons, increasing flooding and intensifying heat-stress for livestock and farmhands.

It’s long past time we have a representative who actually supports our district.