Washington, D.C. – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today named Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) Porker of the Month for adding $25 million for spinach growers to the fiscal 2007 emergency supplemental bill.  The House of Representatives will soon vote on the U.S. Readiness, Veterans’ Health and Iraq Accountability Act of 2007, which costs $21 billion more than the President’s request mostly because of domestic spending unrelated to military operations.

Last year’s E. coli outbreak caused the Food and Drug Administration to issue a warning against eating fresh spinach, leading to losses for growers.  Rep. Farr’s district is home to many spinach farms and has been referred to as “The Salad Bowl of the World.”  The source of the outbreak was eventually traced to a farm in his district.

According to The Salinas Californian (3/16/07), Rep. Farr said, “The funds I fought for in today’s emergency supplemental are for those growers and first-handlers that acted with due diligence, did the right thing and pulled their product.  Supporting our spinach producers is not just important for our local economy, it’s important for our national health.”  Rep. Farr sits on the House Appropriations Committee and on three of its subcommittees, including Agriculture. 

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) offered an amendment to remove the spinach provision from the bill, but was defeated.  He noted, “A $25 million bailout for spinach owners demeans the bill.  It holds Congress up to ridicule.”

Rep. Farr countered, “It’s easy to make fun of spinach, but if we had eaten more of it, we would be a stronger society.”  While spinach does provide health benefits, compensation to its growers does not contribute to a stronger military, which was supposed to have been the focus of the bill. 

Spinach growers deserve no special reward for pulling a deadly product from store shelves.  The growers can plan for and survive temporary slumps just like any other business.  Non-subsidized businesses must constantly adjust to unforeseeable events to stay profitable in the free market.  Spinach growers are using lobbyists and Rep. Farr to obtain special privileges at taxpayers’ expense. 

Emergency spending is basically a giant loophole.  The costs of supplemental bills are not counted in official annual budget figures, but still get added to the national debt.  The projects and programs slipped into supplementals often would not pass muster in the regular budget process.  Presidents are historically reluctant to veto funding meant for the troops, which makes such bills a magnet for pork; President Bush has threatened to veto this particular bill.  Other extraneous provisions in the supplemental include $283 million for the Milk Income Loss Contract Program, $74 million for peanut storage costs, and $60.4 million for salmon fisheries in the Klamath River region in California and Oregon.

For exploiting the emergency supplemental to direct an unrelated and unnecessary subsidy to a special interest in his home district, CAGW names Rep. Sam Farr its March 2007 Porker of the Month.

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.