Will the Republicans in Congress commit to eliminate wasteful spending?

Here is there perfect opportunity:

There are two pieces of legislation set to expire at the end of this year. One is the $0.45 per gallon subsidy (called the VEETC) that is paid to oil companies to blend ethanol into gasoline. Because the oil companies are also mandated to blend ethanol, the subsidy is mostly redundant. That is, we are paying a subsidy for something that is already being compelled by law. As I have argued before, it is like paying people to obey speed limits. I don’t know too many people who would think it is a good idea to borrow money from our children so we can give it back to their parents for obeying traffic laws. (You can find a more detailed discussion on the VEETC here).

The second piece of legislation is an ethanol tariff that is applied to ethanol entering the U.S. market. Brazilian producers want to see that tariff removed to open up the U.S. market, and U.S. producers want to see it maintained to protect their market. For a more detailed look at the issues around the tariff, see Implications Of The U.S. Ethanol Tariff.

I believe that the ethanol lobby recognizes that they don’t really need the VEETC with the mandate in place. After all, we had subsidies for 30 years, but the explosive growth in the industry only happened once the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was passed into law in 2005. The RFS meant that it was no longer optional for the oil companies to blend ethanol; they were compelled by law to do it.