House Democrats Break Down Sham Republican Agriculture-Rural Development-FDA Funding Bill

May 18, 2023
Press Release

WASHINGTON — During today’s House Appropriations Subcommittee markup of the 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies funding bill, House Democrats highlighted how Republicans are cutting rural investments and critical food programs.

For 2024, the bill provides funding of $17.2 billion – a level so low that it was last seen in 2006 – which is $9 billion below what was provided in 2023. The legislation:

  • Slashes investments in rural America such as loans to financially distressed farmers and funds for rural electric co-ops.
  • Reneges on critical nutrition assistance by slashing the cash value voucher in the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC). The voucher provides funding for fruit and vegetable purchases for the 5 million women and children enrolled.
  • Underfunds critical direct loans for the purchase of homes in rural areas and water and waste grants, which help the poorest communities get safer water services.
  • Reverses the FDA decision to allow mifepristone to be dispensed in certified pharmacies to patients with a prescription from a certified prescriber, instead of only in hospitals, clinics, and medical offices.

“For the past couple of years when I woke up in the morning on markup day for this subcommittee, I often reminded myself of the biblical admonition ‘this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ That is because when we came to mark up this bill over the last several years, I was able to say that work done by the agencies we were funding would touch the lives of every American,” Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-02) said. “I am concerned today as I come here because it is very difficult, despite my faith, to rejoice in this markup because today this bill turns its back on rural America. It is a retreat from our most vulnerable communities. This bill really makes it more difficult to implement the purpose and to have a level playing field for all Americans.”

Congressman Sanford Bishop, Jr.,’s full remarks as prepared for delivery are here.

“The cuts in the bill are harmful, including slashing the Women, Infants, and Children program by $500 million, cutting the Renewable Energy for America Program by $500 million, gutting investments in rural electric co-ops for clean energy and energy efficiency by $3.25 billion, eliminating loans that serve as a financial lifeline that has already helped more than 20,000 distressed farmers from keeping hardworking farmers from going into foreclosure,” Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “This bill exemplifies Republican values: taking food out of the mouths of hungry people, creating hurdles for women to access medication, raising energy costs for rural Americans, and making it harder for small farmers and poultry producers to make ends meet – while at the same time tipping the scale in favor of big corporations and protecting big tobacco.”

Congresswoman DeLauro’s full remarks as prepared for delivery are here.

Key provisions of the bill can be found here. The text of the draft bill is here. Information on Community Project Funding in the bill is here.

118th Congress