The Environmental Working Group last week released its new farm subsidy database that shows you the money. In case you missed all the news reports - many by local reporters showing who got what in their county - the database lets you to search for subsidy recipients any which way, including by name. (The entry point is Ken Cook's Mulchblog.)
EWG also helpfully provided a breakdown of farm subsidies that flow to the districts of lawmakers on the House Ag Committee's Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.
The 18 members on the Subcommittee (out of 435 members in the House, or 4 percent) received $10.013 billion in farm subsidies from 2003 through 2005. This constitutes 23.2 percent of total subsidies nationwide. Of the five programs targeted for payment limits, these 18 members receive $8.227 billion, 23.7 percent of the nationwide total for these programs.
As the saying goes, "money talks." It's something to consider when you're trying to change the Farm Bill. Speaking of which, if you want real inside-the-beltway reporting on the Farm Bill, look no further than the Blog for Rural America.