A bipartisan group of 27 congressmen have written President Barack Obama and the Senate and House Budget Committees in opposition to the administration’s proposed 20% cut in the Market Access Program (MAP). The letter said, “Supporting American farmers and farm communities must be a part of getting our economy back on track. At a time when our nation is struggling to create jobs and our government is spending hundreds of billions to boost the economy, we believe cuts to MAP represent a step in the wrong direction. It is difficult to understand why cuts to MAP are necessary while an increase is being proposed for the overall USDA budget for next year.”

The letter was organized by Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA). The MAP program was reauthorized in the 2008 farm bill at $200 million annually.