Senator Chuck Grassley, (R-IA), introduced a new piece of legislation called the U.S. Department of Agriculture Spending Accountability Act. The bill is also co-sponsored by Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.).
The longtime Iowa lawmaker and member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, says it would limit the USDA’s “wasteful spending” of Commodity Credit Corporation funds, narrowing it to only programs authorized by Congress.
“Over the past few years the secretaries of agriculture, both Republican and Democrat, have used excess funds in the CCC for their own agenda,” Sen. Grassley said. “It’s become one of the most costly tools in the Farm Safety Net. There are many reasons to rein in the authority. Importantly, it will stop the USDA from undermining the role of Congress and writing the upcoming Farm Bill. Without these new controls, the Biden administration can simply fund his priorities using the CCC even if Congress rejects them in the upcoming Farm Bill.”
Sen. Grassley says the bill would save American taxpayers $8 billion dollars.
“We need to find savings in every nook and cranny of the Farm Bill,” he said. “If this bill becomes law, my goal is to preserve at least half of that amount for permanent savings. The other half would go towards long-term investment in future agriculture,” Grassley said during a call with reporters Tuesday morning.
“This bill will be a win-win for Rural America, and our nation’s financial strength.”
