Tag: House Agriculture Committee

Secretary Rollins Defends Department Personnel Cuts at Senate Hearing

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by LICA-National

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins defended her record at a wide-ranging House Agriculture Committee hearing this week that touched on trade, personnel reductions at USDA, and cuts to nutrition programs. She repeatedly mentioned her travel abroad and attempts to open foreign markets to U.S. farm goods and said, as she has before, that the previous administration had vastly increased the workforce at USDA, making it necessary to cut back. The department has lost about 15,100 employees through buyouts this year, raising concerns that some vital functions of the department will be hampered. But in response to criticism that the cuts have gone too far, she said, “We are adequately staffed to meet our mission.”


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Early Signs of Where Cuts Will Come to Agriculture

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by LICA-National

Reports yesterday outlined broad areas of discussions on where federal cuts may come from.

The House Agriculture Committee is targeting between $100 billion and $250 billion in cuts. Some would impact SNAP, aka food stamps. Mandating states pay more for SNAP benefits with a cost-share requirement, changing the Thrifty Food Plan process and expanding work requirements were among the options. Democrats are already panning proposals to cut spending on social safety net programs to pay for tax cuts.

Farm Bill Update

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by LICA-National

The one topic on everyone’s mind was the status of the farm bill. Passing a new farm bill this year is still a long shot, but the House Agriculture Committee’s plan to mark up a bill later this month could help some vulnerable Republicans while also putting additional political pressure on a handful of Democrats who are in close re-election races.


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Funding for Agriculture and Conservation Programs Debated in House

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by LICA-National

As part of the trillion dollar spending bill the Administration is pushing – in addition to the infrastructure bill that is awaiting a House of Representatives vote – the House Agriculture Committee began debate last week on what programs and what spending levels to send to the full House for consideration.


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