US farm bill has subsidies for Brazilian cotton farmers

Fox News:

Americans could be on the hook to send Brazilian cotton farmers millions of dollars if Congress passes the current version of the farm bill making its way through both chambers.

The measure is just one of dozens of provisions and amendments tucked into the sprawling 1,000-page bill which some critics are blasting as a pork-filled government giveaway. While lawmakers on the House side began debating their version on Tuesday -- with much of the debate centered on the bill's funding for food stamps -- others are raising alarm about the subsidies that remain in the package.

The yearly $147 million payout to Brazil, for example, is part of the international fallout stemming from U.S. government subsidies for domestic cotton farmers.

About a decade ago, Brazil sued the U.S. before the World Trade Organization. In its complaint, the South American country claimed the U.S. government had subsidized American cotton farmers so much it would make it impossible for other countries to compete. The WTO sided with Brazil in 2004 and said the country had a right to impose punishing trade measures against America.

“Instead of fixing the problem, the U.S. decided to pay off Brazil,” Christine Harbin, a federal policy analyst at Americans for Prosperity, told FoxNews.com. “We send Brazil $147 million a year. So not only do we pay domestic farmers not to farm, we are paying foreign farmers to look the other way.”
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There is much more.

This does not appear to be sound spending when you are running a huge deficit and have cut spending on the military and  weapons systems.  In fact it looks like nuts.  Let's cut the farm subsidies to cotton farmers and Brazil and save a lot of money.