Jim Monke
Specialist in Agricultural Policy
The Agriculture appropriations bill provides funding for all of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) except the Forest Service, plus the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and, in alternating years, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
For FY2013, both the House and Senate have committee-reported bills for Agriculture appropriations, though neither bill has reached the floor in its chamber. The Senate Appropriations committee reported S. 2375 (S.Rept. 112-163) on April 26, 2012. The House subcommittee marked up its bill on June 6, 2012, followed by full committee action on H.R. 5973 (H.Rept. 112-542) on June 19, 2012.
The Senate-reported bill would increase discretionary Agriculture appropriations to $20.8 billion, an increase of $1.2 billion (+6.2%) above FY2012 levels, after adjusting for the inclusion of disaster provisions and CFTC appropriations in FY2012 (Table 2). Without these adjustments, the Senate-reported discretionary amount is about $700 million (+3.5%) above FY2012.
The House-reported bill would reduce discretionary Agriculture appropriations to $19.4 billion, a cut of $365 million below FY2012 levels, after adjusting for the inclusion of disaster provisions in FY2012 (Table 2). Without this adjustment, the House-reported discretionary amount is about $675 million (-3.3%) below FY2012.
The Senate bill differs from FY2012 primarily by increasing discretionary domestic nutrition programs (+$438 million), agricultural research (+$64 million), rural development (+$50 million), the FDA (+$24 million), and the Farm Service Agency (+$14 million), and reducing the use of rescissions and limits on mandatory programs (-$672 million).
The House bill differs from FY2012 and from the Senate bill primarily by decreasing rural development (-$153 million from FY2012, -$204 million from the Senate), international food aid (-$324 million from FY2012 and the Senate bill), agricultural research (-$35 million from FY2012, -$99 million from the Senate bill), the Farm Service Agency (-$35 million from FY2012, -$50 million from the Senate bill), animal and plant health programs (-$30 million from FY2012 and the Senate bill), the CFTC (-$25 million from FY2012, -$128 million from the Senate bill), the FDA (-$25 million from FY2012, -$50 million from the Senate bill), and discretionary conservation programs (-$16 million from FY2012, -$2 million from the Senate bill); and by increasing discretionary domestic nutrition programs (+$295 million from FY2012, - $143 million from the Senate bill) and reducing the use of limits on mandatory programs (-$154 million from FY2012, +$403 million over the Senate bill). The House bill also has policy-related provisions that would remove a 2011 livestock and poultry marketing rule, tighten farm commodity program payment limits, and require USDA to allow white potatoes for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) feeding program. The Administration opposes many of the reductions and policy provisions proposed in the House bill.
Date of Report: July 10, 2012
Number of Pages: 40
Order Number: R42596
Price: $29.95
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