A Senator's Sometimes Lonely Fight Against Waste There are things in the United States Senate that are regular and expected: steamed fish served on Tuesdays for partisan lunches; fulminating conference calls hosted by Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York; and amendments to bills that point out embarrassing government expenditures, offered by Senator Tom Coburn, often bound for failure. So it was Wednesday, during a monster session of amendment votes on the farm bill, that Mr. Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, offered a measure that would prohibit taxpayer dollars from enriching some programs in the Market Access Program, which is designed to help American agriculture entities market their brands overseas and conduct research. Mr. Coburn cited a variety of items in the program that he deemed wasteful, and sought to cut the total program funding by 20 percent. Among those items he considered unworthy was one that had produced a reality television and fashion show in India to promote cotton - not even American cotton, Mr. Coburn said - and had received $20 million under the program; another was a company that specializes in organic hair products for dogs, cats, and horses, including "Boost! Volumizing Spray" and "Freeze! Hair Hold" sprays for dogs that received funds to boost sales. According to Mr. Coburn's report, the Cotton Council received $20.2 million from the Market Access Program in 2011, the same year in which domestic cotton crop receipts were estimated to exceed $8.2 billion. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Democrat of Michigan, who is managing the farm bill, politely declined to support Mr. Coburn's amendment. "Agriculture exports are the only real area where we have a surplus right now," she said. Mr. Coburn shot back, decrying the Indian reality show, "We're wasting $20 million on something that has no connection whatever with American agriculture products." Mr. Coburn paced the Senate floor as his colleagues voted, sending his amendment up in a 30-to-69 flame of failure. He had better luck with his second amendment, which sought to prohibit farm subsidies for anyone who earns over $1 million. That succeeded in a 63-to-36 vote. In the 112th Congress, Mr. Coburn has seen 15 of his amendments approved and 13 rejected. He will fight on with his reports decrying waste, most of them featuring a rather spiffy cover.