McCain mocks farm bill pork on Senate floor

(CBS News) Armed with posters and puns, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., took to the Senate floor Thursday to lay out his top 10 biggest gripes with the millions of pork dollars he alleges are springing up "overnight" in the $969 billion farm bill.

Building on a list of top-10 "ugly" pork projects he debuted on his Twitter account Wednesday, McCain kicked off his presentation Thursday calling out $15 million set aside to study the sheep industry, and $10 million to eradicate feral pigs: "I've always been against pork spending, but now we're gonna spend $10 million to establish a new USDA program to eradicate feral pigs," he said.

The puns kept coming. Mocking a proposed $91 million over 10 years to subsidize popcorn - "I'm not making it up," he said - the famously candid fiscal hawk cracked, "There isn't a kernel of evidence that they need this subsidy."

"And I know that mothers all over America that have advocated for their children to eat their peas," he continued, "will be pleased to know that there's a study that's going to cost them $25 million to study the health benefits of peas, lentils, and garbanzo beans."

McCain accounts for several of the more than 200 amendments weighing down the bill. A 90-8 vote Wednesday to officially begin debate in the Senate opens the way for what could be several weeks of attempts to amend proposed legislation that spends some $100 billion a year on crop insurance, conservation and nutrition programs.

The measure would save $23 billion over a 10-year period from current spending levels. Some savings would come from eliminating the current system where farmers get paid directly regardless of whether they actually plant a crop. It would be replaced with greater stress on subsidized crop insurance and a new program that would compensate farmers when revenues from planted fields fall below levels as determined by a five-year average.

While the bill "generates $23 billion in savings," McCain acknowledged Thursday, he lamented that "it seems that Congress's idea of a farm bill reform is to eliminate one subsidy program only to invent a new one to take its place."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[OweninNJ]

Subsidies are killing us. Never mind Republican/Democrat. Public subsidies of private business and subsidies of government researchers who perform needless research are decades old and are used plainly to 'subsidize' votes. Please don't take your eyes off Greece. That's the path we are on.

[Molly-Pchr]

Where better to raise pork than on a farm? oink, oink

[retmw1]

Why are the taxpayers subsidizing insurance for crops? I thought the gop was all for the the free market. If the farmers want to insure they're crops let them buy insurance from a private insurer.

[Lindag20]

Good for McCain, now if only he'd attack the "pork" in other bills and subsidies to corporations.

[hillzhavays]

I did a quick add: $1,311,000,000. Good thing we're saving $23 mil. For a second there, I thought we were spending a lot of money needlessly.

"#1 - Creates new USDA office to inspect catfish. FDA already inspects catfish, so this one's a real bottom-feeder.

#2 - $200 mil Market Access Program promoting brands overseas. Example: Holding "liquor mixology demonstrations" in Russia.

#3 - $25 million to study health benefits of peas, lentils and garbanzo beans. Pretty sure they're healthy.

#4 - Subsidies for mohair (AKA goat wool), which have cost taxpayers $20 million+ since 1954

#5 - $91 million New subsidy for popcorn producers. Yes, popcorn subsidies - after popcorn prices rose 40% in recent yrs.

#6 - $10 million to establish new USDA program to eradicate feral pigs. Talk about pork!

#7 - $15 million to establish a new grant program to "improve" the U.S. sheep industry. A ba-a-a-a-a-a-d idea.

#8 - $700 million for "Ag and Food Research Initiative" funding grants to research pine trees in FL & study moth pheromones

#9 - $40 million in grants from USDA to states to encourage private land owners to use land for bird watching or hunting

#10 - $200 million for "Value Added Grant Program" often used to give grants to wine producers (& cheese makers too) "

[jeanne0256]

Is McCain taking cues from Letterman ?

[WHAT-IS-HE-SMOKING]

And this is coming from a republican Senator.

" While the bill "generates $23 billion in savings," McCain acknowledged Thursday, he lamented that "it seems that Congress's idea of a farm bill reform is to eliminate one subsidy program only to invent a new one to take its place."

[PoppaCharlie]

John does have his moments, so don't begrudge him this one. He did some good in his mockery, but needs to attack the egregious subsidies of BIG AG. There's real money wasted there.

[WHAT-IS-HE-SMOKING]

You are 100% correct about the waste, like getting a guaranteed price for your product, discounted insurance if you have a loss just to mention two.