GOP Proposes Massive Cuts in Food Stamps and Farm Subsidies

What they wanted: Red State voters sent the Gops to Washington to slash and burn the federal government. But after making bold promises, the Republicans who control Congress have actually increased the budget, not cut it. However, recent events have forced their hand and now the cuts must come. First they’ll go after the poor, with drastic reductions in food stamps - but next on the chopping block is farm subsidies - a slice out of the Red Staters’ hide:

Under orders to cut agriculture spending by $3 billion, Republicans in Congress have proposed reducing food programs for the poor by $574 million and conservation programs by $1 billion, The Associated Press has learned.

The proposal by the chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., also would cut payments to farmers by 2.5 percent across the board.

The plan faces hostility from congressional Democrats and other critics who say the cuts would hurt food stamps and conservation programs.

Payments to farmers would fall by $1.145 billion over five years. But that is considerably less severe than what President Bush had proposed. Bush had sought a 5 percent reduction in payments, plus a far-reaching plan for capping payments that would cut billions more dollars from subsidies collected by large farm operations.

The AP obtained a summary of the budget-cutting plan. A vote had been scheduled for a vote Thursday in Chambliss' committee but was put off indefinitely. Congress ordered the $3 billion in cuts in a budget outline passed this year.