(Washington, D.C.) – On behalf of its one million members, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today condemned the proposal by Senator Jim Jeffords (I-Vt) to re-introduce his stalled National Historic Barn Preservation Act of 2001 within the new 2002 Farm Bill omnibus.  At a time of war every dollar must count and the $25 million appropriation for promoting barn preservation is misguided and unnecessary.

Jeffords previously noted that the state grant program in Vermont provided $100,000 in funding for 19 barn owners in 2000, yet there were 52 applications.  According the state historical preservation officer, however, there are 10,000 barns needing repair in Vermont alone!  But if this is the case it seems strange that there were so few applications for free money.

On the $25 million in proposed funding, CAGW President Tom Schatz commented, “This money could be far better spent on updating military technology and defending our nation.  Senator Jeffords and other pork admirers needs to understand that there will be no barns to save if the enemy gets its way.  Even if not spent reducing the terrorist threat, this money and equivalent agricultural pork could improve our economy by reducing taxes allowing consumers to spend more, stimulating the economy, increasing employment and productivity.”  Indeed, increased consumer spending would mean that barn-loving individuals could spend more time and money visiting these rural idylls and basking in the glorious splendor of such “historical” treasures.

Senator Jefferies stated in his 2001 Act that “historic” barns “at least 50 years old” are “viable elements of food production in the United States.”  Viable, yes; efficient, no. Companies and individual farmers do not choose to spend their efforts producing and storing agricultural commodities in historic barns.  They desire modern, high-tech buildings that allow them to produce more, at a lower cost to themselves and more importantly to all consumers.

In May of this year, Jeffords procured a $365,000 federal grant from taxpayers to preserve a barn at the University of Vermont.  Apparently 40,000 tourists will visit this popular attraction – and that’s just between May and October each year.  “Such a popular program could easily pay for itself without taxpayers who will never hear and much less see the barn being unfairly targeted” said Schatz.  “The people who enjoy the attraction should pay for it through entrance fees.”  Furthermore, is it really necessary for all so-called “historic” barns to be saved with taxpayers cash?  As time progresses it is only natural that some buildings will fall by the wayside.  Most of these barns were never designed to be national monuments, simply structures that humble farmers would use whilst toiling the land and raising livestock.

“At a time of increased pork-barrel spending every dollar unnecessarily taken from the taxpayer reflects badly upon our elected representatives” commented Schatz.  “Now that the Farm Bill has passed it is essential that the more wasteful elements are not given money.  Just because Senator Jeffries has managed to get his barn proposal included in the Bill is no excuse for it slyly being given up to $25 million of taxpayer funds later on this year.”

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  For more information about our organization and issues see our website at www.cagw.org