House Agriculture Appropriations Bill Reopens Department of Agriculture, FDA

December 31, 2018
Press Release
Legislation funds vital services for farmers and consumers through Sept. 30

A PDF copy of this summary is available here. Additional details on the legislative package are available here.

House Appropriations Committee Democrats have filed legislation to reopen the federal government and fund the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.

The legislation is virtually identical to the FY19 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies bill that passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on a 31-0 vote and was adopted by the full Senate on a 92-6 vote.

It provides $23.235 billion in discretionary funding, $225 million above the FY2018 enacted level. In addition, it provides the latest estimates for mandatory programs required by law.

The legislation will end the Trump Shutdown and support agriculture, rural development, conservation programs, and food and drug safety, as well providing essential nutrition assistance for children, families, and seniors at home, as well as food assistance overseas through September 30.

Bill Highlights:

Agricultural Research – $2.73 billion, an increase of $114 million above the FY2018 enacted level and $440 million above the President’s budget request, to support agricultural research conducted by the Agricultural Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service – $1.004 billion, an increase of $18.4 million above the FY2018 enacted level and $262 million above the budget request.

Natural Resources Conservation Service – $879.1 million, an increase of $5 million above the FY2018 enacted level and $210 million above the President’s budget request, for conservation operations to help farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners conserve and protect their land.  The bill also includes $150 million for the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations program to support needed investments in rural communities, equal to the FY2018 enacted level and $150 million above the President’s budget request.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) – $1.625 billion for FSA for various farm, conservation, and emergency loan programs important to the nation’s farmers and ranchers. The level is virtually the same as the FY2018 enacted level. It prohibits the closure of FSA county offices and provides resources for information technology (IT) improvements and personnel across county offices.

Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) – $1.049 billion, which is $7.5 million below the FY2018 enacted level and $17 million above the President’s budget request. 

Rural Development – $3.8 billion for Rural Development, including $825 million in funding dedicated for infrastructure investments in Rural America, which is $275 million below the FY2018 enacted level and $2 billion above the President’s budget request.

  • Water & Electric Infrastructure – $1.25 billion for rural water and waste program loans, equal to the FY2018 enacted level and $50 million above the President’s budget request; $800 million for water and waste grants, which is $100 million below the FY2018 enacted level and $800 million above the President’s budget request. The bill also provides $6.94 billion for rural electric and telephone infrastructure loans, which is the equal to the FY2018 enacted level and $750 million above the President’s budget request.
  • Rural Broadband – $425 million for the rural broadband loan and grant pilot program, which is $175 million below the FY2018 enacted level 2018 but rejects the President’s proposed elimination of the program.
  • Rural Housing Loans and Rental Assistance – $24 billion in loan authority for the Single Family Housing guaranteed loan program, equal to the FY2018 enacted level and the President’s budget request. It includes $1.1 billion for the direct loan program, which provides low-income rural families with home loan assistance. In addition, $1.331 billion is provided for rental assistance, which is $14 million below the FY2018 enacted level and equal to the President’s budget request.

Food and Nutrition Programs – The bill provides discretionary funding, as well as mandatory funding required by law, for food and nutrition programs within the USDA.  This includes funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Child Nutrition programs.

  • Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) – $6.15 billion in discretionary funding for WIC, which is $25 million below the FY2018 enacted level and $400 million above the President’s budget request.
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – $73.219 billion in mandatory spending, which will fully fund the program in 2019.
  • Child Nutrition Programs – $23.184 billion in mandatory funding, which will fully fund the program in 2019. 

International Programs

  • Food for Peace — $1.716 billion, which is equal to the FY2018 enacted level and rejects the President’s proposed elimination of the program.
  • McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program — $210.255 million, an increase of $2.6 million above the FY2018 enacted level and rejects the President’s proposed elimination of the program.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – $2.97 billion in discretionary funding for the FDA, an increase of $159 million above the FY2018 enacted level and $213 million below the President’s budget request. Overall, total FDA funding, including user fee revenues, is $5.4 billion, which is $292 million above the FY2018 enacted level.

115th Congress