We applaud Maine’s congressional delegation for voting against costly ethanol subsidies that need to be eliminated.

Unfortunately, Republicans blocked a Senate jobs bill on Tuesday that included a repeal of the ethanol tax credit, but Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud should continue to fight this tax break to help reduce the federal deficit.

Congressional Republicans have been saying for months ”“ and during their campaigns ”“ that the fat needs to cut from the budget, and now when the opportunity arises, they refuse to do so.

Ethanol subsidies amount to $5 billion annually and experts say the ethanol industry will likely do just fine without the subsidy ”“ and continue to use about the same amount of corn as it has the past few years.

According to reports from the Associated Press, experts say the 45-cents-per-gallon tax credit, set to expire at the end of the year, does not even go directly to ethanol producers, but instead has been an incentive for oil companies like BP, Valero Energy and ExxonMobil to buy ethanol and blend it with gasoline.

Iowa State University Economist Bruce Babcock said, “What do you need a tax credit for when you have this built-in huge market in the United States? The U.S. ethanol industry is very competitive; they don’t need the (subsidy),” in an interview with the Associated Press.

We agree.

Tax credits for oil companies are unnecessary and hurt Americans and small business, because these billion dollar corporations are not paying their fair share of taxes.

Members of Congress made the right decision earlier this year when they voted to stop funding a military jet engine project based in Republican House Speaker John Boehner’s state of Ohio. Lawmakers cut the $450 million expenditure to develop a second engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which was being developed by General Electric Co. and Rolls-Royce Group PLC in southwest Ohio district.

Boehner opposed the cut, even as Defense Secretary Robert Gates said publicly the second engine is unnecessary. Gates said last year said he would recommend that the president veto any bill that included funding for it.

Members of Congress need to stick to their word and continue to cut frivolous spending and tax breaks for those who do not need them. All we hear is that the country is broke and the debt is mounting, so every item in the budget and beyond should be considered.

As Congress considers long-term spending, tax credits for the largest corporation in this country as well as unnecessary spending need to be considered before cuts to Social Security and Medicare take place.

People who have worked all their lives to receive these benefits, and those who are paying into the programs now, should have the benefit programs they supported, especially if the government can write off taxes for businesses like Bank of America, which reportedly paid no taxes this year, and received $2.3 billion in government assistance in 2009 while making billions in profits.

Ethanol subsidies need to end, as do many other programs and tax credits that support the super rich. We hope members of Congress will continue to fight for working Americans and stop protecting their campaign donors.

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Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.