The House Appropriations Committee 2020 Agriculture spending bill rejects many of the cuts proposed by President Trump.
Representative Nita Lowey, a New York Democrat who chairs the full Appropriations Committee, says the bill “rejects the President’s misguided budget and instead invests in important initiatives for the people.”
Subcommittee Chair Sanford Bishop, a Democrat from Georgia, says the bill “invests in America’s fundamental needs and rejects the Administration’s radical cuts.”
The bill allocates $24 billion, four percent above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level, and more than $5.1 billion above the budget request.
The bill provides nearly $4 billion for rural development, $1.8 billion in farm programs, $3.3 billion for agricultural research, and fully funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
For the Food and Drug Administration, the bill provides $3.2 billion in discretionary funding, which is $185 million above fiscal year 2019.
The bill reported out of committee in a vote of 29 to 21 and now awaits further consideration by the full U.S. House of Representatives.