Biden's proposed budget would raise USDA spending 16%

President Biden's proposed budget for 2022 would boost spending on agriculture and rural areas in general. Such proposals don't generally survive intact, but they're useful as a snapshot of the president's priorities. This one raises funding for every major part of the government, and would boost Agriculture Department spending by 16 percent to $27.8 billion for the year starting in October. 

"Biden’s budget request mirrors many of the rural priorities included in his infrastructure blueprint, like broadband access, reclaiming abandoned mines and helping rural communities transition to cleaner energy sources. It also would expand funding for USDA research and education programs," Ximena Bustillo reports for Politico's Weekly Agriculture. "Congress can now get started writing the annual spending bills for each agency. But the appropriations process will run parallel to Democrats’ work on a sprawling infrastructure package, which is likely to dominate the agenda for several months."