Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 3/22/21

The $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Congress passed earlier this month could lead to painful budget cuts for a wide range of food and agricultural programs. The automatic spending reductions are required by “pay as you go” rules — unless lawmakers vote to waive them first. The House passed legislation to avert those cuts on Friday, but its fate is uncertain in the Senate, where Democrats need 10 Republicans to join them in the effort, writes Pro Budget’s Caitlin Emma.

On the chopping block: The across-the-board cuts would hit funding for certain ag inspections, forestry programs, the Commodity Credit Corporation (the primary source of pandemic relief for farmers and ranchers), Medicare and many other accounts.

Routine procedure: Sequestration triggered by the “PAYGO” rule has never actually occurred, because Congress has always stepped in first — typically in bipartisan fashion. If the House-passed bill doesn’t gain traction in the Senate, a provision to avert the spending cuts could instead be tucked into must-pass legislation later this year.