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President Biden issued his proposed 2024 budget that would include a 14.3% increase in discretionary funding for USDA to $30.1 billion in FY24.
Highlights of the proposed budget include:
- An increase in agricultural research to more than $4 billion in FY24, or $299 million more than FY23;
- $7 billion in climate-related funding – an increase of $2 billion increase over FY23;
- $400 million in new funding for rural broadband through USDA’s ReConnect grant and loan program; and,
- Expanded use of a “community eligibility provision” to allows schools to increase access to free school lunches in high-poverty areas, which would benefit nine million children at a cost of $14.6 billion over 10 years.
USDA Secretary Vilsack said the White House budget “provides USDA with the tools needed to serve all Americans by providing effective, innovative science-based public policy leadership at home and around the world. It contains critical investments that will help rural communities provide the fuel, food, and fiber upon which our nation depends and will drive solutions that will lead to more market opportunities for producers.”
The President’s proposed budget is typically used as a starting point for congressional budget negotiations for the next fiscal year, which starts on Oct. 1 for FY24. House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) said the President’s budget “DOA in the Republican House.” Meanwhile, Democrats applauded the proposed increase in USDA programs.
SOURCE: NPC
