Senate's proposed agriculture cuts detailed
March 07, 2011 | 12:06 PM
The Senate Appropriations Committee has released a draft of its bill to fund the government through the remainder of fiscal year 2011, which would cut agricultural appropriations by $1.6 billion or 7 percent, compared to the House-passed bill that would cut agriculture by $5.3 billion or 23 percent, according to an analysis by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
Republican leaders have said the bill, which was written by Senate Democrats with White House assistance and released late Friday, is unacceptable, but some compromise with the House is expected.
NSAC described the cuts as “less harmful” than the House-passed bill, but noted that mandatory conservation programs would still be cut. NSAC said that funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program would be cut by $298 million, somewhat less than the $350 million cut in the House bill, but that the Senate would not cut the Conservation Stewardship Program.
The Senate bill does not appear to make any cuts to the Biomass Crop Assistance Program, which was cut in H.R. 1 by $134 million, NSAC said. The Senate bill also leaves sustainable agriculture, organic and minority agriculture programs at current levels rather than terminating them as the bill does, according to NSAC.
The Senate bill does not cut international food assistance and provides additional formula funds to land grant universities, NSAC said in its analysis.
Republican leaders have said the bill, which was written by Senate Democrats with White House assistance and released late Friday, is unacceptable, but some compromise with the House is expected.
NSAC described the cuts as “less harmful” than the House-passed bill, but noted that mandatory conservation programs would still be cut. NSAC said that funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program would be cut by $298 million, somewhat less than the $350 million cut in the House bill, but that the Senate would not cut the Conservation Stewardship Program.
The Senate bill does not appear to make any cuts to the Biomass Crop Assistance Program, which was cut in H.R. 1 by $134 million, NSAC said. The Senate bill also leaves sustainable agriculture, organic and minority agriculture programs at current levels rather than terminating them as the bill does, according to NSAC.
The Senate bill does not cut international food assistance and provides additional formula funds to land grant universities, NSAC said in its analysis.
