By Jessica Domel
Multimedia Editor

Unlike a budget proposed by the White House earlier this year, a new proposal from the House Appropriations Committee  calls for significantly fewer cuts to agriculture and food programs.

The 2018 Agriculture Appropriations Bill allows for $144.9 billion in funding. About $20 billion of that is for discretionary spending, which is $876 million below last fiscal year.

The bill calls for $4.6 billion more than the president’s request, but is $8.5 billion less than the 2017 fiscal year enacted level.
According to the committee, the legislation includes funding for food and medical product safety, animal and plant health programs, rural development and farm services, agricultural trade, financial marketplace oversight and nutrition programs.

It prioritizes funding for programs in rural communities, farmers, ranchers and nutrition for those in need. Policy provisions are also included to reign in unnecessary and burdensome regulations, according to the committee.

“The safety and accessibility of our nation’s food and drug supply is of utmost importance to our economy, our quality of life, and—given the great benefit of producing necessities here at home—our national security,” Rodney Frelinghuysen, House Appropriations chairman, said . “This bill prioritizes funding on federal programs that support these critical industries and the farmers, ranchers, medical professionals and many others that form the backbone of our food and drug supply, which is the best in the world.”

If realized, the proposal calls for $2.8 billion for agricultural research programs, including the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

This inclusion will support research at ARS facilities, which work to “mitigate and stop devastating crop disease, improve food security and water quality, increase production and combat antimicrobial resistance.”

Funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is also included in the proposal. It calls for $906 million to support programs to help control or eradicate plant and animal pests and diseases that plague American farmers.

The bill calls for $904 million in conservation programs, $1.6 billion for farm programs like those provided by the Farm Service Agency, $2.6 billion for rural development programs, $1.038 billion for food safety and inspection programs and $2.8 billion for Food and Drug Administration programs.

Also included is $248 million for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, $1.8 billion for overseas food aid and to promote U.S. agricultural products, food and nutrition programs and $73.6 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Additional explanations of funding can be found here: http://bit.ly/2sv96a7.