House Republicans Attempt to Slash Programs Rural People Rely On While Shielding Meatpackers Through Federal Appropriations.
GOP House Appropriators propose rolling back rural conservation and climate funding, cutting nutrition benefits, and derailing livestock market reforms.
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee released their budget funding proposal for 2023/2024 last week, calling fur cuts in agriculture and food agency funding by more than 30% below enacted levels for the current budget year.
House Agriculture Appropriations Chair Andy Harris (R-MD-01) released the text of the House’s FY 2024 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, proposing to slash the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) budgets by $8.3 billion.
According to an analysis from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), the bill would:
Prevent implementation of three rules designed to promote fair competition for livestock farmers: the (1) Transparency in Poultry Grower Contracting Tournaments, the (2) Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act, and (3) the Unfair Practices, Undue Preferences, and Harm to Competition Under the Packers and Stockyards Act, as well as any similar rulemaking effort (Sec. 737). Read more on fair competition from NSAC here.
Rescind $500 million of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funds (Sec. 722). Read more about REAP’s IRA funding here.
Rescind $500 million of unobligated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, specifically from the Food Supply Chain & Agriculture Pandemic Response provision, ARPA Sec 1001(a) (Sec. 741).
Block USDA from carrying out a variety of its racial equity-focused initiatives, including anything related to Executive Orders 13985, 14035, and 14091, or to create and establish an Office of the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer (Sec. 764).
Rescind all unobligated funds from IRA’s Farm Loan Immediate Relief for Borrowers with At-Risk Agricultural Operations, Sec. 22006. (Sec. 748)
Cap all expenses for US Department of Agriculture advisory committees, panels, commissions, and task forces at a total of $2.9 million for FY2024. (Sec. 712)
Prevent USDA from effectively serving farmers, ranchers, and other stakeholders by needlessly limiting the Departments hiring of National Capital Region-based staff. (Sec. 738)
Cut WIC and SNAP benefits for millions, including for older adults.
Democrats roundly criticized the proposal.
“I am extremely disappointed that this bill will shortchange America’s rural and underserved communities, restricting their ability to access water and waste systems, nutritious food, and affordable electricity,” Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-02) said in a statement.
“The federal government should be a steadfast partner for smaller communities whose budgets cannot meet the large, upfront costs of critical quality-of-life projects. Unfortunately, these cuts will hurt the most vulnerable and blunt the forward progress being made to grow our economy for everyone.”
Many farm and food system reformers also slammed the Republican budget request.
“The House Appropriations bill provides a deeply troubling preview of Republican Farm Bill priorities,” said Ben Lilliston, Director of Rural Strategies and Climate Change for the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), in an email to The Cocklebur. “This reckless bill slashes funding for rural renewable energy, climate research, and conservation program staffing – undercutting farmers, rural communities and efforts to respond to the climate crisis.”
“To score political points by slashing anything that says ‘climate,’ Republican appropriators are cutting off their nose to spite their face. These programs provide multiple benefits, not just for the climate, but for water quality, wildlife, and rural economies. These programs are hugely popular among farmers because they recognize the value of climate resilience, conservation, and renewable energy.”
Farm Action said that House Appropriations proposal would undermine rules meant to strengthen the Packers and Stockyards Act, a landmark law intended to protect farmers and ranchers from abusive and anti-competitive behavior.
“We are disappointed that Republican House Appropriators caved to the corporate meatpacking lobby and effectively sold out America’s farmers and ranchers. We urge the House Appropriations Committee to reconsider this provision,” said Farm Action President Joe Maxwell in a statement.
Farm Action said this is not the first time lawmakers have sided with corporate monopolies regarding marketplace protections. In 2011, a prohibition against similar rulemaking known as the “GIPSA Rider” caught national attention. “We beat the meatpackers back in 2015 and we won’t stop until we do it again,” Maxwell said.
“Hurtful politics has taken the forefront over the needs of low-income individuals,” said Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP deputy director for FRAC, the Food Research and Action Center. “This will cause unequivocal harm to the tens of millions of people with low incomes across the country - in red and blue states, who need federal nutrition programs to put food on the table.”
“This bill fails to address our nation’s hunger crisis and instead will make hunger worse. This is particularly concerning for rural communities who have less access to resources.”
The House Appropriations Committee was originally scheduled to markup and vote on the bill this week, though debt limit negotiations have delayed action. Once the committee passes its version, the full House chamber will vote on the package.
If passed, the proposed Republican cuts would face strong opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate and from the White House. The budget must be passed or extended by September 30, 2023.
The Cocklebur covers rural policy and politics from a progressive point-of-view. Our work focuses on a tangled rural political reality of dishonest debate, economic and racial disparities, corporate power over our democracy, and disinformation peddled by conservative media outlets. We aim to use facts, data, and science to inform our point-of-view. We wear our complicated love/WTF relationship with rural America on our sleeve.