House Appropriations Committee Approves Agriculture, FDA Spending Bill

On July 12, the House Appropriations Committee approved, by voice vote, the FY2018 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies approved the bill on June 28 (see The Source, 6/30/17).

According the committee report, the measure would include $20 billion in discretionary funding, a decrease of $876 million from FY2017 and $4.6 billion above the president’s request.

The committee “directs the department, in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to either continue or expand its education and outreach efforts through the [Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children] WIC program to provide pregnant women with the information they need to prevent Zika.”

In addition, the bill would provide $400,000 for the women and minorities in STEM fields initiative within the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The following chart details funding for programs important to women and their families.