The Bush administration is taking heat from WTO negotiators for standing by its October 2005 proposal to limit its farm subsidies to $22 billion, as it only paid about $15 billion in subsidies last year. With that much room to spare, the US could easily make a more generous offer in an attempt to restart the WTO negotiations. On the other hand, trading partners are well aware that the first $7 billion in cuts offered by the US won’t actually improve their lot.