Sugar Program Draws Presidential Candidate Ire, Remains Popular in Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz says he wants to do away with government support for the sugar industry — a veiled dig at rival Marco Rubio, the Florida senator who has long supported sugar growers.

Conservatives like Cruz have long wanted to get rid of the program, which supports prices and protects growers from foreign competition. But sugar supports have for decades been unassailable in Congress, partly due to wide bipartisan support from lawmakers from Florida to North Dakota and other states that grow sugar cane and sugar beets. Idaho, more specifically the Magic Valley, is a major producer of sugar from sugar beets.

In Tuesday night's GOP debate, Cruz listed sugar assistance as among government programs he'd like to eliminate to allow more spending for the military. Rubio has received campaign donations from the sugar industry and has consistently voted to maintain sugar supports.