Source:  PRESS RELEASE, 6/23/22

 The House Appropriations Committee today approved the fiscal year 2023 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill on a 31 to 26 vote.

For 2023, the bill provides funding of $27.2 billion– a critical increase of $2.075 billion, 8 percent– above 2022. In total, the bill includes $195 billion for both discretionary programs funded on an annual basis and mandatory programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The legislation:

• Rebuilds our public health infrastructure and strengthens the safety of our baby formula market with increased funding to address maternal and infant nutrition, including resources for the 'Closer to Zero’ initiative to reduce exposure to toxic elements in babies’ and young children’s food, emerging food-related chemical and toxicological issues, drug safety oversight, as well as providing additional resources for in-person inspections of one of the largest foreign drug manufacturing countries, and drug and device supply chain monitoring and surveillance. The bill also invests in our public health infrastructure by modernizing FDA’s data infrastructure to better ensure the safety and security of the food and medical supply chain.

• Tackles hunger and nutrition insecurity by providing increased access to fruits and vegetables to 6.2 million people through WIC and ensuring 43.5 million people in SNAP-eligible families get the benefits they need. The bill also invests in the health of America’s kids through Child Nutrition programs, like school meals, which are now the healthiest source of food consumed in the United States.

• Grows opportunity and lifts up rural communities with a critical increase for rural broadband, a new 1 percent loan program for water programs for rural areas, and a record investment of $1.5 billion in single family home loans.

• Provides important investments to ensure equitable participation in USDA programs. In total, the bill provides increases for extension, research, and capacity grants at our 1890 land grants, 1994 land grants, and Hispanic serving institutions to help strengthen the pipeline for the future of agriculture. It also provides increased funding to improve outreach and program access to historically underserved communities and more than doubles funding for Tribal relations activities.

• Provides full pay and FERS costs for both USDA and FDA. For FDA, this is the first time in years such costs have been provided. Including these costs ensures that these expenses do not come out of base program funding.

“Our country’s rural and agricultural communities are important to all Americans. This bill continues to expand and improve rural housing, broadband, healthcare, public safety, and water infrastructure. We are making historic investments in agricultural research to strengthen our nation’s agricultural productivity and sustainability as well as grow a new crop of agricultural professionals and scientists that will benefit our farmers, ranchers, universities, and USDA agencies. We are fully funding nutrition programs to care for our country’s most vulnerable – children and seniors – along with families struggling to put food on the table. The bill also makes the largest ever commitment to the Food for Peace Grants program to help address rising food insecurity around the world, which has been made worse by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-02) said. “Through this bill, we are dedicating resources to promote animal welfare and combat emerging diseases. We are prioritizing the ability of USDA and FDA to carry out their vital responsibilities, as well as reaffirming our commitment to ensuring safe food, medicine, and medical devices.”

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