This week, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley and Nebraska Congressman Jeff Fortenberry called on Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue to enact payments limits through farm programs. Grassley says the Ag Department has the authority to make sure anyone getting farm payments is actively engaged in farming before receiving those.

He says he tried to get an actively engaged in farming amendment in the last farm bill but that failed and the resulting legislation made everything worse by adding cousins, nieces and nephews to those who could get farm payments.

Grassley says the actively engaged provision needs to be required for those farm payments and rigidly followed.

Before the last farm bill, the Government Accountability Office documented that at least $259 million was paid out through the actively engaged loophole Grassley’s amendment sought to close.