Agri-Pulse’s Rebekah Alvey reported that “the House released a fiscal 2025 budget resolution Tuesday that would direct the Agriculture Committee to cut $230 billion over 10 years, an amount that would likely require a significant reduction in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. ” “After weeks of talks, the House Budget Committee dropped its ‘one big, […]
Budget
SNAP Under Fire in Budget Reconciliation Cuts
Politico’s Grace Yarrow reported that “the House Ag Committee is eyeing roughly $150 billion in spending cuts related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as Republicans are seeking to pay for President Donald Trump’s agenda.” “That number includes reducing SNAP error payment rates, updating work requirements and tying future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan […]
Farm Income to Increase in 2025 Thanks to Federal Aid
Progressive Farmer’s Katie Micik Dehlinger reported Thursday that “USDA forecasts climbing farm income in 2025, but it’s due to a dramatic increase in government payments, not better prices or a higher volume of sales. Net farm income, which is a comprehensive measure of farm profitability, is forecast at $180.1 billion, an increase of $41 billion, […]
Budget Reconciliation Likely to Include SNAP
Politico’s Gregory Svirnovskiy reported that “newly reelected House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday highlighted his and President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to pass one ‘big, beautiful’ budget reconciliation package through Congress and said he aims to have it on Trump’s desk by the end of April.” “‘Everything’s got to move in the right sequence. And along the […]
Federal Funding Bill Collapses, Putting Ag Aid at Risk
UPDATE: On Thursday morning, Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill and Olivia Beavers reported that “Speaker Mike Johnson and Donald Trump’s team are circling a new federal funding stopgap plan that includes disaster aid, pushing off a debt limit fight for two years and a one-year farm bill extension, according to two Republicans familiar with the discussions. […]
Government Funding Bill to Include Ag Economic Aid, Sources Say
Politico’s Katherine Tully-McManus, Jennifer Scholtes and Meredith Lee Hill reported Monday evening that “top lawmakers were still negotiating the final details Monday night of a stopgap spending patch tied to a slew of other last-ditch priorities as Friday’s federal government shutdown deadline grows closer.” “While negotiations on the funding patch itself are resolved, disputes continue […]
Market Aid in Jeopardy During Farm Bill Extension Talks
Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported that “nearly $10 billion in immediate economic aid to farmers could be lost because House Republican leaders oppose how Democrats came up with the money for the aid.“ “Staff for Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., the retiring chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, found a way to move the conservation dollars […]
Farm Bill Extension a Priority as Congress Returns
Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported Monday that “Congress returns this week facing a Dec. 20 deadline to approve a new funding resolution to keep the government operating, as well as potentially pass a disaster package and a farm-bill extension before wrapping up the year.” “Lawmakers will be negotiating the funding and provisions of a disaster […]
Another Government Shutdown Looms After Funding Bill Fails
The Hill’s Mychael Schnell reported that “a diverse group of House Republicans torpedoed Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) proposal to fund the government on Wednesday, dealing an embarrassing blow to the GOP leader and derailing his strategy to avoid a shutdown at the end of the month.” “Fourteen Republicans joined virtually every Democrat in voting against […]
Ag-FDA Funding Bill Pulled From House Floor Vote
Politico’s Caitlin Emma and Jennifer Scholtes reported Monday that “House Republicans have pulled two government funding bills scheduled for a floor vote this week, signaling further peril for leadership’s doomed efforts to pass all 2025 spending measures before the August recess.” “Republicans’ funding bill for the Agriculture Department and the FDA, in addition to the […]
Senate, House Committees Advance Ag-FDA Spending Bills
Axios’ Victoria Knight reported Thursday that “the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Agriculture-FDA spending bill 27-0 Thursday.” “Both chambers of Congress have now approved their FY25 Ag-FDA funding bills out of the full committees,” Knight reported. “The bill was approved with little debate on the Senate side, with senators approving the bill and the accompanying […]
Federal Ag Spending Bills to be Considered this Week
Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill and Grace Yarrow reported Monday that “amid election controversy and campaign buzz, appropriations leaders will convene this week to start to hammer out key spending plans. The coming weeks are a critical time for lawmakers to push funding bills ahead of August’s recess. The Senate Appropriations Ag-FDA subcommittee will mark up […]
New CBO Estimate Remains Below GOP Farm Bill Needs
Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher reported Wednesday that “the Congressional Budget Office is sticking with a cost estimate for USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation spending authority that is far lower than congressional Republicans need to fund their farm bill proposals. CBO on Tuesday estimated that USDA’s use of its Section 5 authority under the CCC would total $12 […]
House Subcommittee Approves Ag Funding Bill
E&E News’ Marc Heller reported earlier this week that “House appropriators Tuesday approved their annual agriculture spending bill for fiscal 2025 that would cut programs related to climate change and rural energy.” “Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) said the $25.9 billion measure would rein in wasteful spending on Biden administration priorities while maintaining […]
SNAP Participation Up, Spending Down in 2023
Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increased 2.3% in 2023 to an average of 42.1 million people each month, while total federal spending on the program decreased 5.6% in 2023 to $112.8 billion, according to new research from the USDA’s Economic Research Service. The 42.1 million people participating in SNAP each month “was […]
House Ag Committee Advances Contentious Farm Bill
Agri-Pulse’s Noah Wicks, Rebekah Alvey, and Philip Brasher reported that “Republicans pushed their $1.5 trillion farm bill through the House Agriculture Committee early Friday with the help of four critical Democratic votes, giving the massive legislation some momentum as it heads to an uncertain future in the full House.” “The four Democrats who supported the […]
Farm Bill Draft Expected by Memorial Day
E&E News’ Marc Heller reported earlier this week that “House Agriculture Chair Glenn Thompson said Tuesday he’ll release a farm bill draft within a month and have it ready for the panel’s consideration before Memorial Day.” “By setting a target date before the May 27 holiday, Thompson (R-Pa.) set the stage for the five-year bill’s […]
Republicans Propose Crop Insurance Subsidy Boost
Successful Farming’s Chuck Abbott reported Wednesday that “Republicans on the Senate Agriculture Committee proposed a $4 billion injection into the crop insurance program so that the government would pay a larger share of the premiums on policies offering the highest levels of coverage.” The plan, known as the FARMER Act, “was estimated at $4.2 billion […]
Republican Study Committee Budget Targets SNAP, Crop Insurance
A proposed 2025 budget from the Republican Study Committee — the largest conservative caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives — would cap crop insurance subsidies a single farmer may receive to $40,000, provide PLC and ARC payments only to farms with gross income below $500,000 and convert funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program […]
WIC and Foreign Ag Land Addressed in Funding Bills
The Hill’s Aris Folley reported on Sunday that “congressional leaders on Sunday finally revealed long-awaited bipartisan bills to fund parts of the government for most of the year, setting off a bicameral sprint to avert looming shutdown threat in less than a week. ” “The weekend rollout entails six full-year spending bills to fund a […]