Source:Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 3/16/17


The White House 2018 Budget proposal requests $17.9 billion for USDA, a $4.7 billion, or 21 percent, decrease from the 2017 annualized continuing resolution (CR) level (excluding funding for P.L. 480 Title II food aid which is reflected in the Department of State and USAID budget). The President’s 2018 Budget: 

• Safeguards the nation’s supply of meat, poultry and egg products by fully funding the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which employs more than 8,000 in-plant and other frontline personnel who protect public health in about 6,400 federally inspected slaughter and processing establishments nationwide. 

• Provides $6.2 billion to serve all projected participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC provides grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition education for low-income pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children who are at nutritional risk.

• Fully funds wildland fire preparedness and suppression activities at $2.4 billion, 100 percent of the 10-year average for suppression operations, to ensure the resources necessary to protect life and property. 

• Reduces funding for lower priority activities in the National Forest System, such as major new federal land acquisition; instead, the budget focuses on maintaining existing forests and grasslands. 

• Continues to support farmer-focused research and extension partnerships at land-grant universities and provides about $350 million for USDA’s flagship competitive research program. In addition, the budget focuses in-house research funding within the Agricultural Research Service to the highest priority agriculture and food issues such as increasing farming productivity, sustaining natural resources, including those within rural communities and addressing food safety and nutrition priorities.

• Reduces funding for USDA’s statistical capabilities, while maintaining core analytical functions, such as the funding necessary to complete the Census of Agriculture.

• Eliminates the Water and Wastewater loan and grant program, a savings of $498 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. Rural communities can be served by private sector financing or other federal investments in rural water infrastructure, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s State Revolving Funds.

• Reduces staffing in USDA’s Service Center Agencies to streamline county office operations, reflect reduced Rural Development workload and encourage private sector conservation planning.

• Eliminating discretionary activities of the Rural Business and Cooperative Service, a savings of $95 million from the 2017 annualized CR level.

• Eliminates the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education program.

Federal budgets must be approved by Congress, making these proposals a starting point for debate.

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