The Senate Committee on Appropriations this week approved its 11th fiscal year 2016 funding bill, giving bipartisan support to a $148.3 billion agricultural and rural development measure that also invests in food safety, public health, and nutrition programs.
The committee approved the fiscal year 2016 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill on a bipartisan 28-2 vote. With this bill, the Senate now has an opportunity to debate 11 of the 12 appropriations bills required of Congress annually. The Senate bill contains $143.8 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding — $24 billion below the president’s budget request and $3.7 billion below the fiscal year 2015 enacted level. The discretionary funding portion of the bill totals $20.51 billion — $65 million below the fiscal year 2015 enacted level.
Highlights of the bill include:
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) – The bill provides a total of $2.7 billion to support agricultural research conducted by the Agricultural Research Service and land grant and non-land grant universities. This amount includes $325 million for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative; funding for research at state agriculture experiment stations; and $402 million for Smith-Lever programs to support overall extension service activities.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – The legislation includes $876 million for APHIS, $20 million above the president’s budget request and $5 million above the fiscal year 2015 enacted level. Overall funding will continue programs to control or eradicate plant and animal pests and diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture production. The increase will establish prevention and early animal disease response methods and improve pre-departure inspections of agriculture imports.
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) – The legislation includes $1.014 billion, approximately the same as the 2015 enacted level, promoting the safety and productivity of the nation’s $186 billion meat and poultry industry. The bill will support more than 8,000 frontline inspection personnel for meat, poultry, and egg products at more than 6,400 facilities in the United States.
Included in the bill was full funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) funding and for Foreign Market Development (FMD) at current levels – $200 million and $34 million respectively, and also approved an amendment that will stop USDA from allowing imports of beef from Argentina and Brazil, and an amendment that would direct USDA’s Agricultural Research Service to improve animal welfare standards at its research facilities.
Both the Senate and House full Appropriations Committees have approved funding for USDA; however, no date has been set for floor action on either bill.
