Conservative deficit hawk Sen. Tom Coburn tried yesterday to shrink a federal program that uses taxpayer money to help U.S. companies advertise and sell agricultural products overseas. I’m all for U.S. companies advertising and selling things overseas, but I don’t see why the taxpayer or the federal government should get involved.
Tad DeHaven at Cato tells the story:
According to a new report produced by Coburn’s office, promotional activities that MAP has subsidized include advertising for pet food and animal spa products, wine tastings, and reality television shows. To make a point, Coburn’s amendment would have also prohibited MAP from funding those four items in particular.
Coburn’s amendment, of course, failed, just as almost all efforts to kill pork and corporate welfare fail. But look at the vote breakdown: Republicans voted 28 to 18 to cut the program. Democrats voted 51-to-2 against the cuts, thus siding with the agribusiness lobby.
Recent votes on corporate welfare have broken down similarly.
Of the 20 Senators who voted against reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank, 19 were Republicans.
On the sugar subsidy program, Dems voted 36-17 in favor of Big Sugar, while Republicans voted 29-17 to kill the subsidy.
