Durbin talks farm bill, budget with Illinois Farm Bureau

CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 07: U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) speaks with demonstrators, including many senior citizens, during a protest against cuts to federal safety net programs, including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid on November 7, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

CHICAGO – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin addressed those attending the Illinois Farm Bureau annual meeting in Chicago on Monday.

Speaking to reporters, Durbin said with regard to the farm bill that direct payments are a thing of the past.

“Sending farmers, who are making more money than they ever have in history, federal subsidy checks is indefensible. They know it, I know it,” he said.

Durbin said instead there is a need to find revenue protection so farmers can survive when prices go down or when there is bad weather. He also acknowledged that the ethanol subsidy is being rewritten and reformed, and less money will be spent by the federal government.

Durbin said he sees a need for change to energy policy as a whole.

“The ethanol industry is aware of it and accepts it, as long as it’s done in a thoughtful, phased-in way. I wish I could hear the same thing from the oil and petroleum industry. They want their subsidies to continue despite record-breaking profits by the oil companies in our country. I think that we ought to look at all energy subsidies, figure out where we want to be as a nation, and make the changes necessary to reduce the deficit,” said Durbin.

Durbin said the idea of more gasoline stations accommodating alcohol fuels and blended fuels is a good thing, although there hasn’t been much success with that so far.

With regard to the budget in general, Durbin said he and other senators on both sides of the aisle are working towards a proposal, which is more difficult in an election year.

“If we had a solid plan for reducing and controlling our deficit over a 10-year basis, and announced that at this moment, I think it would breathe life back into this economy,” Durbin said.

Durbin also answered a question about improvement of locks and dams in the Midwest.

“I think we will see some improvement but not nearly what we need,” said Durbin.  “We need a massive investment. When you impose taxes and fees on an economy recovering from a recession, it doesn’t make it any easier to recover. So that’s our dilemma.”

Durbin said he would support public/private partnerships to help expedite the process, as long as proper studies are done and good environmental decisions are made.

Carrie Muehling can be reached at carrie@wjbc.com.