On April 13, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Rural Development, and Related Agencies approved, by voice vote, the FY2017 Agriculture, FDA, Rural Development, and Related Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).
According to the committee summary, the bill would provide $147.7 billion in overall funding for FY2017, which includes $21.3 billion in discretionary spending. The overall amount is $7.2 billion over FY2016, but $2.3 billion below President Obama’s FY2017 budget request. The discretionary level is $451 million below FY2016 and $281 million below the president’s request.
FDA would receive $4.78 billion in overall funding, which includes funding from user fees. Its discretionary allocation of $2.7 billion is $33 million over FY2016 and slightly below the president’s FY2017 request of $2.743 billion.
P.L. 480 Title II Food for Peace would receive $1.5 billion in FY2017, an increase of $116 million over the administration’s request. The program received $1.466 billion in FY2016. The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program would receive $202 million in FY2017, an increase of $20 million over the president’s FY2017 request. In FY2016, the program received $201.626 million.
Domestic food assistance programs also would receive funding under this bill. Specifically, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) would receive $6.35 billion, which is equal to the amount allocated in FY2016 and the president’s FY2017 request.
The Special Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would receive $79.7 billion in mandatory funding. This amount is $1.2 billion below FY216 and $2.02 billion below the administration’s request.
Child Nutrition Programs would receive $23.2 billion in mandatory funding. This amount is $1 billion over FY2016 and nearly identical to the president’s request. The bill also includes funding to continue a pilot program that provides additional money to SNAP or WIC to feed children during the summer months.
Additional information will be made available once the committee releases its report.
