Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) President Tom Schatz today released the followings statement on the The Food and Agriculture Risk Management for the 21^st Century Act (Farm 21):

CCAGW applauds Representatives Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Ron Kind (D-Wis.) , Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), and Dave Reichert (R-Wa.), and Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) for developing Farm 21.  As Congress begins consideration of the 2007 farm bill, Farm 21 represents the best reform proposal to date.

The legislation would put U.S. farm policy on the right track by transitioning away from the current system of subsidies and replacing them with a fairer safety net through Risk Management Accounts (RMA’s).  On behalf of CCAGW’s 1.2 million members and supporters, we particularly applaud the fact that this proposal would provide real debt relief, saving taxpayers $4.4 billion over 5 years and $23 billion over ten years.   

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.