,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #ccd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,february #ad1 #bjac
 ,mrs4 ,mc,caskill 7for herself and ,mr4
 ,flake7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1
 and ,forestry  ,a ,,bill  ,to terminate
 agricultural direct payments beginning 
with the #bjac crop year4  #a4 ,findings
 and sense of ,congress  7a7 ,findings  
,congress finds that--  7#a7 on         
,september #cj1 #bjab1 the final day of 
the #bjab fiscal year1 the total public 
debt outstanding equaled more than      
#af1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj2  7#b7 the          
,congressional ,budget ,office projects 
that under law in effect as of the date 
of enactment of this ,act1 the budget   
deficit for fiscal year #bjac will be   
#hde1jjj1jjj1jjj2  7#c7 the most recent 
projection from the ,department of      
,agriculture1 updated in ,february      
#bjac1 forecast--  7,a7 net farm income 
to be #aab1jjj1jjj1jjj in #bjab1 the    

second-highest total on record2 and     
7,b7 farm asset values1 reflecting      
expectations of long-term profitability1
 to rise to a record #b1ecf1jjj1jjj1jjj2
  7#d7 direct payments to agricultural  
producers--  7,a7 cost the ,federal     
,government nearly #e1jjj1jjj1jjj       
annually2  7,b7 are fixed payments with 
no connection to market conditions or   
the actual losses of the producers2 and 
7,c7 are not reduced or adjusted in any 
way in response to high commodity prices
 or high farm incomes2  7#e7 direct     
payments that are set based on          
historical acreage and yield are payable
 even to people who do not farm and to  
agricultural producers who do not grow  
the covered commodity for which the     
direct payments are made2  7#f7 7,a7    
direct payments are paid to producers on
 less than #bb percent of all farms in  
the ,united ,states and only for a      
select number of commodities2  7,b7     
among producers on farms that receive   
direct payments1 the payments are       

concentrated among producers on the     
largest farm operations1 which are those
 least likely to need support2  7,c7    
more than #ea percent of payments flow  
to just #aj percent of recipients2 and  
7,d7 more than #gc percent of payments  
flow to just #be percent of recipients2 
7#g7 7,a7 direct payments were--  7i7   
enacted through the ,agricultural       
,market ,transition ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4  
#gbja et seq471 title ,i of the #aiif   
,farm ,bill2 and  7ii7 intended to be   
temporary1 transitional payments to     
assist agricultural producers following 
the elimination of target price         
deficiency payments2 but  7,b7 the      
transition was never completed and      
direct payments were reauthorized in    
#bjjb and #bjjh2 and  7#h7 direct       
payments were eliminated by--  7,a7 ,s4 
#cbdj 7#aabth ,congress71 the           
,agriculture ,reform1 ,food1 and ,jobs  
,act of #bjab1 which passed the ,senate 
on ,june #ba1 #bjab2 and  7,b7 ,h4,r4   
#fjhc 7#aabth ,congress71 the ,federal  

,agriculture ,reform and ,risk          
,management ,act of #bjab1 which was    
reported by the ,committee on           
,agriculture of the ,house of           
,representatives on ,september #ac1     
#bjab4  7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is  
the sense of ,congress that direct      
payments--  7#a7 are unnecessary and    
unaffordable2 and  7#b7 should be       
immediately repealed4  #b4 ,termination 
of agricultural direct payments  7a7    
,repeal ,sections #aajc and #acjc of the
 ,food1 ,conservation1 and ,energy ,act 
of #bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #hgac1 #hgec7 are
 repealed4  7b7 ,application of         
amendments ,notwithstanding section #gja
 of the ,american ,taxpayer ,relief ,act
 of #bjab 7,public ,law #aab-bdj2 #abf  
,stat4 #bcfb71 the amendments made by   
this section shall apply beginning with 
the #bjac crop year4