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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Agriculture Department spending bill starts moving with cuts in discretionary programs

The House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee yesterday approved a Department of Agriculture spending bill for the 2012 fiscal year, beginning Oct. 1, with $17.25 billion in discretionary funds, about $2.7 billion below the figure enacted for the current year "and more than $5 billion below the amount requested by President Obama in a fiscal 2012 spending proposal released in February," reports the Washington newsletter Agri-Pulse.

Commodity prograns would not be affected, but "Agricultural research takes a major hit of some 15 percent compared to the FY 2011 and requested levels, farm programs (primarily ag credit and RMA operations) are about 8 percent short of FY 2011 and 17 percent short of the president’s request, and Rural Development is about 17 percent shy of FY 2011 and 5 percent shy of the request."

The bill, which includes $108 billion for nutrition programs, is scheduled for action by the full Appropriations Committee Tuesday, May 31. For a copy, click here; for a summary chart, here. Agri-Pulse is a subscription-only newsletter, but offers a free trial subscription.

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