The House is scheduled to begin consideration of H.R. 2997, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010, on Wednesday, July 8, 2009, under a structured rule making a number of amendments in order. A complete summary of the amendments made in order under the rule will be distributed when they become available.
Agriculture and FDA Discretionary Funding in Millions | |||||
FY 2009 (scored) | FY 2009 With Stimulus | President's Request | H.R. 2997 | FY 2009 vs. H.R. 2997 | H.R. 2997 vs. Request |
20,456 | 26,594 | 22,972 | 22,892 | 2,436 | -80 |
H.R. 2997 contains a total of $22.9 billion in discretionary spending, which is an increase of $2.436 billion or 11.9 percent above the discretionary spending level for FY 2009. Agencies funded through the bill also received $6.1 billion in discretionary supplemental appropriations from the "stimulus" bill. In total, the bill received $27.6 billion in discretionary funding in FY 2009.
Spending increases in H.R. 2997 would contribute to an overall total discretionary spending level of $1.09 trillion or 7.6 percent over FY 2009. From FY 2007 to FY 2009 non-defense spending has increased 85 percent. During Committee consideration, Republicans offered an alternative that would have increased spending under the bill by only 2 percent, but that amendment was defeated on a party-line vote.
H.R. 2997 would provide funding for a number of agencies, including the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration, the Farm Services Agency, the Commodity Assistance Program, WIC, and the Rural Rental Assistance Program. The following is a summary of the spending highlights and other provisions in the bill.
TITLE I-Agricultural Programs
Farm Services Agency: Provides $1.254 billion for the Farm Services Agency, which administers the USDA's farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster and loan programs. The appropriation is an increase of $83 million or 7 percent over FY 2009.
Agricultural Research Service: Provides a total of $1.19 billion for the Agricultural Research Service, which administers programs that facilitate the efficient, fair marketing of U.S. agricultural products, including food, fiber, and specialty crops. The appropriation is an increase of $15 million or 1 percent above FY 2009. The bill provides $35 million for buildings and facilities for the Agricultural Research Service that was not requested by the Administration.
National Institute of Food and Agriculture: Provides $1.25 billion for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), an increase of $32 million or 2.5 percent above FY 2009. NIFA was established by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to "be an independent, scientific, policy-setting agency for the food and agricultural sciences, which will reinvigorate our nation's investment in agricultural research, extension, and education." Funding in the bill provides for education, extension, and integrated NIFA activities.
TITLE II-Conservation Programs
Conservation Operations: Provides $869 million for the USDA's conservation operations, an increase of $16 million or two percent above FY 2009. The bill does not provide for a $10 million reduction in funding for the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative that was included in the President's request.
Watershed Rehabilitation Program: Provides $90 million for the Watershed Rehabilitation Program, including $50.7 million for Resource Conservation and Development which was not requested in the President's budget.
TITLE III-Rural Development programs
Rental Assistance: Provides $980 million for the USDA's Rural Rental Assistance Program, an increase of $77 million or 8.5 percent above FY 2009. The program provides an additional source of support for households with incomes too low to pay the Housing and Community Facilities Programs subsidized rent.
Rural Cooperative Assistance Grants: Provides $30 million for Rural Cooperative Assistance Grants, which is an increase of $18 million or 150 percent above FY 2009. According to the USDA, the program is responsible for "establishing and operating centers for cooperative development to improve the economic condition of rural areas by developing new cooperatives and improving operations of existing cooperatives." According to USDA's most recent statistics, the program provided about $6.3 million in grant to 21 applicants in FY 2003.
Rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Grants: Eliminates funding for Rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Grants, which received $8 million in FY 2009.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: Provides $885 million for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which includes $4 million for buildings and facilities and represents an increase of $4.3 million above FY 2009. The bill does not include funding for the National Animal Identification System and includes $157 million for animal and plant pests and diseases eradication.
TITLE IV-DOMESTIC FOOD PROGRAMS
WIC: Provides $7.541 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), an increase of $681 million or 9 percent over FY 2009. WIC already received $500 million in supplemental appropriations from the "stimulus" bill.
Commodity Assistance Program: Provides $255 million for the Commodity Assistance Program, an increase of $24 million or 9.4 percent over FY 2009, and an increase of $22 million or $8.6 million over the President's request.
TITLE V-Foreign Assistance and Related Programs
International Food and Child Nutrition Grants: Provides $199 million for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program Grants, an increase of $99.5 million or 99 percent above FY 2009.
TITLE VI-FDA and Related Programs
FDA: Provides $2.337 billion for the salaries and expenses of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an increase of $298 million or 13 percent above FY 2009. In addition, the appropriation provides an additional $12 million for FDA buildings and facilities. Funding for the FDA includes appropriations for the Center for the Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the Office of Regulatory Affairs, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, the Center for Veterinary Medicine, and Center for Toxicological Research. The Committee Report also stipulates that the Committee intends to authorize the collection of tobacco fees in FY 2010 pursuant to H.R. 1256 the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.
OTHER PROVISIONS OF NOTE
Competitive Bidding: The bill prohibits the USDA from using any funds to enter into a public/private contact under the OMB Circular A-76--which requires private contractors to compete for federal money to ensure that the U.S. receives maximum value for tax dollars--until a report on contracting is submitted.
Earmarks: The Committee Report accompanying H.R. 2997 contains more than 320 earmarks, totaling $225 million.
Climate Change: The Committee Report accompanying the bill includes global climate change as one of a handful of research priorities that the Agricultural Research Service receives an increase of $8.6 million to study.
Chinese Poultry: Prohibits funds in the bill from being used to establish or implement a rule allowing poultry products to be imported into the U.S. from China.
H.R. 2997 Spending in Thousands
Program | FY 2009 | H.R. 2997 | FY 2009 vs. H.R. 2997 |
Agricultural Programs |
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Office of the Secretary | 6,174 | 6,285 | 111 |
Executive Operations | 35,390 | 42,251 | 6,861 |
Office of the Chief Information Officer | 62,000 | 44,473 | |
Office of the Chief Financial Officer | 5,954 | 6,466 | 512 |
Asst. Sec. for Civil Rights | 871 | 888 | 17 |
Office of Civil Rights | 21,551 | 23,922 | 2,371 |
Asst. Secretary for Administration | 687 | 700 | 13 |
Buildings, Facilities and Rental Payment | 244,244 | 326,982 | 82,738 |
Hazardous Materials Management | 5,100 | 5,125 | 25 |
Departmental Administration | 27,011 | 41,319 | 14,308 |
Asst. Secretary for Congressional Relations | 3,877 | 3,968 | 91 |
Office of Communications | 9,514 | 9,722 | 208 |
Inspector General | 85,766 | 88,781 | 3,015 |
General Counsel | 41,620 | 43,601 | 1,981 |
Under Sec. for Research, Education, & Economics | 609 | 620 | 11 |
Economic Research Service | 79,500 | 82,478 | 2,978 |
National Agricultural Statistics Service | 151,565 | 161,830 | 10,265 |
Agricultural Research Service | 1,140,406 | 1,155,568 | 15,162 |
National Institute of Food and Agriculture | 1,221,000 | 1,253,000 | 32,000 |
Under Sec. for Marketing and Regulatory Programs | 737 | 753 | 16 |
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service | 881,387 | 885,800 | 4,413 |
Agricultural Marketing Service | 86,711 | 90,848 | 4,137 |
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Admin | 42,463 | 42,463 | 0 |
Food Safety and Inspection Service | 971,566 | 1,018,520 | 46,954 |
Farm Service Agency | 1,170,273 | 1,253,770 | 83,497 |
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Conservation Programs |
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| |
Conservation Operations | 853,400 | 869,397 | 15,997 |
Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations | 24,289 | 20,000 | -4,289 |
Watershed Rehabilitation Program | 40,000 | 40,161 | 161 |
Resource Conservation and Development | 50,730 | 50,730 | 0 |
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Rural Development Programs |
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| |
Under Secretary for Rural Development | 646 | 660 | 14 |
Salaries and Expenses | 192,484 | 195,987 | 3,503 |
Rural Business Program Account | 87,385 | 97,116 | 9,731 |
Rental Assistance | 902,500 | 980,000 | 77,500 |
Multifamily Housing Revitalization Program Account | 27,714 | 31,756 | 4,042 |
Rural Housing Assistance Grants | 41,500 | 45,500 | 4,000 |
Farm Labor program account | 9,135 | 11,023 | 1,888 |
Rural Community Facilities Program Account | 63,830 | 51,091 | -12,739 |
Rural Cooperative Development Grants | 12,636 | 30,636 | 18,000 |
Rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Grants | 8,130 | 0 | -8,130 |
Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program | 556,268 | 546,230 | -10,038 |
Distance Learning, Telemedicine, and Broadband | 63,780 | 81,691 | 17,911 |
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Domestic Food Programs |
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Office of the Under Secretary | 610 | 632 | 22 |
Commodity Assistance Program | 230,800 | 255,570 | 24,770 |
WIC | 6,860,000 | 7,541,000 | 681,000 |
Nutrition Programs Administration | 142,595 | 147,801 | 5,206 |
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Foreign Assistance and Related Programs |
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| |
Foreign Agricultural Service Salaries | 165,000 | 177,000 | 12 |
International Food and Child Nutrition Grants | 100,000 | 199,500 | 99,500 |
Commodity Credit Corporation Program Expenses | 5,333 | 6,820 | 1,487 |
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FDA and Related Agencies |
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| |
FDA Salaries and Expenses | 2,038,964 | 2,337,656 | 298,692 |
FDA Buildings and Expenses | 12,433 | 12,433 | 0 |
Commodity Futures Trading Commission | 146,000 | 160,600 | 14,600 |
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Total | 20,456 | 22,892 | 2,436 |
According to the CBO, H.R. 2997 would appropriate $22.892 billion in discretionary funding for FY 2010.
