The House Agriculture Appropriations bill released this week provides $26.3 billion for total funding, $532 million below the 2023 funding level.
The bill provides $17.1 billion to the Department of Agriculture, which is $8.6 billion below current fiscal year spending and $11.7 billion below the budget request. The bill also provides $8.1 billion in funding repurposed from unobligated balances from pandemic-era programs. Conservative leaders in the House say the bill reins in wasteful spending by redirecting billions in American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act funding to help America’s producers and rural communities. The changes include a $32 billion decrease in mandatory SNAP spending from FY23 levels due to the end of increased pandemic-era benefits and a decrease in participation rates.
The proposal also eliminates funding for equity initiatives and climate change, and saves $1 billion by restricting the discretionary use of the Commodity Credit Corporation. The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee was scheduled to markup the bill Thursday morning.
