Sugar subsidy is corporate welfare to a wealthy few
On the House floor in 1996, I said: “This vote is a gut check. It asks us who we are and what we do really believe in. As Republicans, we talk about free enterprise, we talk about open markets. Yet, the federal sugar subsidy program has a guaranteed floo
price of 23 cents. When I go to the produce store, I do not see a guaranteed floor price for tomatoes. When I go to the car shop, I do not see a guaranteed price for repairing the car. When I go to the hardware store, I do not see a guaranteed price for
hammers. Yet are we going to make an exception here?
“You are looking at $1.4 billion of benefit. This subsidy flows down to one family in Palm Beach that gets millions every year. This style of profiteering does not pass the common sense test, nor doe
the sugar program.
The vote to end this absurd corporate welfare program came to a disappointing result. Term limits would do much to end such patently offensive and nonsensical programs as the sugar subsidy.”
