watching

Continuing Resolution Means No Cuts to Ag Programs

Dan General

Lawmakers passed a Continuing Resolution on Thursday to keep the federal government fully-funded through January 19. That averts a potential government shutdown and gives President Trump and Congressional lawmakers time to hash out differences and come up with a long-term spending plan for Fiscal Year 2018. The New York Times says the resolution passed by a 231-188 vote over Democratic …

house budget

House Budget Wants $10 Billion Cuts to Ag Spending

Dan Industry News Release

The House GOP released its budget this week, calling for $10 billion in spending cuts to agricultural programs through the next ten years. However, Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says the plan doesn’t necessarily say how to go about getting to that number. It does recommend reigning in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program spending by promoting “state flexibility,” but it doesn’t go …

house

House Subcommittee Limits USDA Cuts to 5 Percent

Dan Economy, Industry News Release

The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee advanced the fiscal year 2018 spending bill for discretionary programs at USDA and other agencies at just over $20 billion. That’s a $1.1 billion cut from last year’s funding bill and 5.2 percent less than current funding levels. If those numbers hold, USDA would get roughly $876 million less in funding levels compared to the …

study

Ag Trade Programs Affected by Proposed Budget Cuts

Dan Economy, Legislative

Many agricultural groups recently responded to the White House’s proposed fiscal year 2018 budget, which slashed a variety of programs that many in agriculture depend on. And Steve Mercer, vice president of communications for U.S. Wheat Associates, explains what two of those programs are. Congress has the proposed USDA budget for next fiscal year, and thus he encourages producers to …

Vilsack

Ag Lawmakers Discuss Proposed Budget Cuts

Dan Economy, Industry News Release

A recent Senate Agriculture Committee hearing left no doubt where agriculture lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle stand on the administration’s proposed cuts to key programs for rural America. Republican Committee Chair Pat Roberts recited a litany of gloomy ag statistics, warning against more spending cuts on top of cuts in the last farm bill and earlier cuts …

subcommittee

White House Budget Proposal Cuts Ag Spending $46 Billion

Dan Industry News Release

A Reuters report says President Trump’s budget proposal contains $46.54 billion in cuts to government funding in the Ag sector, with those cuts spread out over ten years. The biggest proposed cut is $38 billion dollars from farm support programs. Those cuts include new limits on federal subsidies for crop insurance premiums and a cap on potential commodity program payments. …

study

Ag Groups Respond to White House Budget Cuts

Dan Economy, Industry News Release

President Trump’s Budget is an Assault on the Farm Safety Net and Rural Communities, National Farmers Union Says President Donald J. Trump issued the detailed fiscal year 2018 federal budget proposal, recommending drastic cuts to agricultural and rural related agencies and programs. The proposal would cut Farm Bill programs by nearly $230 billion and slash the U.S. Department of Agriculture …