Spending on farm subsidies is rising after a series of costly expansions in recent years.

The Trump administration is cracking down on fraud in welfare programs. Recent scandals in Minnesota suggest the ease with which people can steal from federal grant programs for food, childcare, and health care. The epidemic of food stamp card skimming is also in the news.

GOP bill to boost farm subsidies by $57 billion.

The government spends $35 billion a year on school food programs.

Ethiopia is experiencing a humanitarian crisis as a result of civil war and drought. Foreign food aid seems justified, but food aid to Ethiopia has been severely mismanaged.

As Congress considers a farm bill in coming months, it should keep in mind that farm household incomes have risen greatly over the decades.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) spends more than $2 billion a year on three programs that provide food aid to poor countries, which aim to alleviate hunger and support development. The programs have noble goals, but they suffer from serious practical flaws.

Congress is scheduled to consider a farm bill this fall to reauthorize farm programs and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Extending current programs would cost $1.5 trillion over 10 years, but there will be efforts to boost benefit levels and add new programs.

With the congressional debate over a new farm bill on the horizon, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) held a conference today to examine farm policies. The speakers included both environmentalists and fiscal conservatives who share views that some farm programs are anti‐​green and benefit wealthy landowners who do not need the money. The EWG has been a leader in calling for farm subsidy reform.