National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Supporting the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

Budget and Appropriations

35 Organizations Urge House of Representatives to Oppose New Conservation Cuts

On Wednesday, June 11, NSAC and 34 other national organizations delivered a letter to the House of Representatives in opposition to the $536 million in conservation cuts contained in the House FY 2015 Agriculture Appropriations Bill. The letter was delivered as the House begins consideration of the bill today.  The House bill cuts mandatory farm bill […]

House Subcommittee Passes 2015 Agriculture Funding Bill

The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed a bill to fund USDA and FDA programs in 2015… Read More →

Busy Week Ahead for USDA Funding in 2015

Next week is a big week for agriculture appropriations.  On Tuesday, May 20, both the House and the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees will debate and almost certainly pass their respective agriculture funding bills for fiscal year (FY) 2015.  The full Senate Appropriations Committee will then take up the agriculture appropriations bill on Thursday, May 22.  […]

Senators Speak Up for Conservation Funding in 2015

On Friday, April 4, 26 Senators delivered a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees urging them to oppose cuts to conservation programs in fiscal year (FY) 2015 appropriations legislation.  Senator Chris Coon (D-DE) led the letter.  Among the many other signers were Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) […]

More 2015 Funding Hearings – Food Safety, Rural Development, and Marketing Programs

This week, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held hearings on the Obama Administration’s FY 2015 funding requests for three USDA mission areas – Food Safety, Rural Development, and Marketing and Regulatory Programs, which includes the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).  The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee also held […]

Groups Urge Congress to Protect Conservation Funding

On Thursday, April 3, NSAC and 28 other national organizations delivered a letter to members of the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees urging them to oppose cuts to conservation programs in fiscal year (FY) 2015 appropriations legislation. The letter was delivered as the Subcommittees are considering the President’s FY 2015 Budget Request, funding requests from […]

Big Week for Animal Food Safety

As part of the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released proposed regulations for facilities that process animal food last fall.  The draft regulations propose to establish Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and Hazard Analysis and Risk-based Preventive Controls (HARPC) requirements for animal food facilities.  The public comment […]

House Budget Resolution Moves Ahead

Budget Resolution Overview On Tuesday,  Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) released the House GOP’s Fiscal Year 2015 House budget Resolution  as a symbolic representation of party priorities and fiscal austerity.  It is likely to squeak through passage on the House floor, but that is as far as it will go.  The Senate is not planning to […]

House and Senate Consider USDA Funding Requests

The House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees held a total of four hearings this week to examine the Obama Administration’s FY 2015 Budget Request.  The House Subcommittee heard testimony from the heads of two USDA mission areas—Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services (FNS), and Research, Education and Economics (REE)—as well as the Food and Drug Administration […]

NSAC, Farmers Partner to Advocate on Sustainable Agriculture Funding

This week, a dozen family farmers and sustainable agriculture advocates from eight states traveled to Washington, DC to share their stories with the members of Congress who will decide on the coming year’s agricultural budget.  In meetings Wednesday and Thursday, farmers called upon their legislators to invest in a more sustainable food and farm future […]

Sustainable Farming Research Innovations Highlighted

Following up on its award winning report published for 2011 and 2012, USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has released its latest biennial report highlighting a variety of research projects that have been funded over the last two years that are helping to advance sustainable farming. The SARE program is administered through four […]

USDA Secretary Explains 2015 Funding Requests to Congress

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies today to discuss the Department’s FY 2015 Budget Request, which he delivered to Congress earlier this month.  The Subcommittee will consider USDA’s requests as it writes its agriculture funding bill for the year. In […]

What Does the President’s 2015 Budget Mean for Sustainable Agriculture?

President Obama sent his budget proposal for 2015 to Capitol Hill yesterday.  The overall spending number in the proposed budget for the next fiscal year (FY) would match the two-year budget deal Congress reached last year, though the President also includes an aspirational $56 billion add-on, which he calls the Opportunity, Growth, and Security (OGS) […]

Congress Extends Automatic Spending Cuts

Last week, the Senate voted 95-3 to pass a House-passed bill that reverses a $6 billion cut to cost-of-living increases (COLA) in military pensions.  The cut was included in last year’s bipartisan budget deal.  To pay for the restoration of funds, Congress chose to extend automatic, across-the-board cuts to direct spending (also known as mandatory […]

Congress Outlines 2014 Funding Package

Update: Both the House and Senate passed the omnibus package this week, and the President is expected to sign the bill shortly.  For a detailed breakdown of the funding levels provided in the bill, see our updated appropriations chart. On Monday, January 13, House and Senate appropriators released the text of the fiscal year (FY) 2014 […]

Farm Bill Fits and Starts

The New Year hopes for quick action on a new five-year farm bill in the first half of January are fading as negotiations on certain issues stall.  At the beginning of this week, the House and Senate lead negotiators were making progress on a compromise bill, and there were rumors of a possible meeting on […]

Busy Month Coming for Federal Agriculture Policy

Congress is due back from the holidays next week.  The annual spending bills (appropriations) will be the first order of business.  (For background on the new budget deal approved in December, read here and here.)  The spending bill, which will include agriculture appropriations, is now expected to be unveiled next Wednesday, January 8, with the […]

NSAC Delivers 2014 Sustainable Agriculture Funding Requests

On Tuesday, December 17, NSAC delivered a letter to members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, urging them to support sustainable agriculture priorities in the final fiscal year 2014 appropriations legislation. The Committees are currently working to finalize legislation that would fund the government for the rest of FY 2014.  Both Committees passed their […]

Farm Bill and Budget Deal Moving Forward

Here is our latest Friday installment on the new federal budget deal and the emerging new farm bill deal, starting with the budget. Budget Deal We reported on the content of the new congressional budget deal earlier.  On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed the package by an overwhelming margin, 332-94, with 73 percent of […]