On Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved the $124.5 billion FY10 agriculture appropriations bill (S. 1406). To view article in the National Journal by Jerry Hagstrom, click here.
According to the article,
[o]f the $124.5 billion in spending, $100.8 billion is for mandatory farm subsidy and nutrition programs, compared with $87.8 billion in the FY09 bill and the President's request of $100.846 billion... The bill includes $23.7 billion is for discretionary programs, compared with $21.3 billion in the FY09 bill and the President's request of $23.6 billion. USDA discretionary programs include food safety, agricultural research and rural development... Nutrition programs comprise about 69 percent of the Senate bill with $86.1 billion including $61.4 billion in mandatory spending for the supplemental nutrition assistance program, also known as food stamps. The bill also provides $16.8 billion in mandatory spending for the school breakfast and lunch program, and $7.5 billion in discretionary spending for the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children (WIC). The bill increases WIC spending by nearly $700 million above the level in the FY09 agriculture appropriations bill... The bill includes $2.4 billion for the FDA, up $299 million above FY09 and the Obama administration's full request. It also includes $1.1 billion for the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, up $47 million over FY09 levels.The senate bill does provide cuts in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Section 32 program, just to name a few. Finally, the senate’s bill does not include a provision to halt funding of the national animal identification program. But Senator Jon Tester is working on an amendment similar to the House provision, and may offer it on the Senate floor. For more on this issue, click here to view an article by Sally Schuff in Feedstuffs.
To view a copy of S. 1406, click here.
To view a copy of the House's version of the agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 2997), click here.
For more on the House's version of the agriculture appropriations bill, click here for a National Journal article by Jerry Hagstrom.
Posted: 07/09/09
