By Scott Pohl, WKAR
EAST LANSING, MI –
Michigan Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow is proposing $23-billion in spending cuts to agriculture. She says the reduction would do more to balance the federal budget than across-the-board cuts that may be on the way.
Stabenow chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Speaking at a press conference in East Lansing, Stabenow said she and her House counterpart, Oklahoma Republican Frank Lucas, have agreed on the proposed cuts.
"We've done this with reforms that would end unnecessary direct payments that aren't tied to a farmer's loss," Stabenow says, "and we would consolidate programs as well as cracking down on fraud and abuse."
If the so-called congressional "super committee" does not agree to budget reductions this week, across-the board cuts would go into effect. Stabenow says her plan would cut agriculture spending by an additional $5-billion to $7-billion.