FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net
Tel. 347.563.6408
Comment: NSAC Urges Support for Key FY2024 Agricultural Program Spending As Senate Appropriators Respond to House Cuts
Washington, DC, June 23, 2023 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, in response to the Senate Appropriations Committee’s fiscal year 2024 Agriculture appropriations bill:
“In the shadow of a debt-ceiling deal that put tremendous strain on discretionary spending, Senate Appropriators have crafted a Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Agriculture bill that – while not perfect – is an important bipartisan response to the House’s deep and unnecessary cuts. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) was disappointed that the House bill would needlessly slash billions and undermine the success of farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and our shared food system. Meanwhile, the Senate bill would increase FY2024 Agriculture spending by over $500 million above FY2023 enacted levels. This increase is primarily directed toward the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, which leaves many of NSAC’s priorities at level funding.
Taking into account the austere confines of FY2024 appropriations, NSAC is relieved to see level funding for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), Conservation Technical Assistance, and the Organic Transitions Program (ORG). The Senate bill also supports fair competition by rejecting the House bill’s anti-farmer Packers and Stockyards Act (PSA) rider that would limit the rulemaking authority of the Secretary of Agriculture under the Packers and Stockyards Act.
Nonetheless, NSAC was disappointed to see that the Senate bill would zero out funding for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, as did the House bill. Despite being authorized at $25 million, the Office received $8.5 million in FY2023, and yet its programming has experienced an unprecedented surge in interest and demand at a time when support for urban agriculture is critical.
Furthermore, the Senate bill reduces overall funding for the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) from $14 million to $10 million, although it still serves as a significant countermeasure to the House’s proposal of complete elimination. Additionally, the bill fails to allocate supplementary appropriations for the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach Program (FOTO).
NSAC applauds Senate appropriators for unanimously approving an FY2024 Agriculture spending bill that supports farmers and ranchers and counters the damaging proposal from the House. We encourage the Senate to push for additional funding for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, FOTO, GLCI, and other vital programs as the bill moves forward.”
For more detailed information about appropriations, visit NSAC’s Agriculture Appropriations Chart.
###
About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net
The post Comment: NSAC Urges Support for Key FY2024 Agricultural Program Spending as Senate Appropriators Respond to House Cuts appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.