Congress is back from their April recess with an extensive to-do list of urgent items to be addressed. Several agenda items are tied to the annual appropriations process for fiscal year (FY) 2020, including coming to agreement on a new budget deal (no small feat!). Whether or not Congress is able to come together to […]
Budget and Appropriations
FY 2020 Agriculture Appropriations and Sustainable Agriculture Priorities
Members of Congress headed home this week for a two-week recess, taking a pause from the busy legislative session. In the weeks leading up to recess, Members (as well as food, agriculture, and other advocacy organizations) were rushing to send their complete funding requests for fiscal year (FY) 2020 to the House and Senate Agriculture […]
RELEASE: Leading Farm, Conservation, and Wildlife Groups Unite to Protect Conservation Funding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik Associate Director for Communications, NSAC 202-547-5754; rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Leading Farm, Conservation, and Wildlife Groups Unite to Protect Conservation Funding Appropriators urged to build on the farm bill’s commitment to conservation Washington, DC, April 2, 2019 – Having succeeded in protecting funding for the Conservation Title in the 2018 Farm Bill, […]
RELEASE: Farmers Look to Appropriators to Build Upon 2018 Farm Bill Victories
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture CoalitionP: 202-547-5754, E: rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Farmers Look to Appropriators to Build Upon 2018 Farm Bill VictoriesNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition helps farmers become champions of sustainability Washington, D.C., March 28, 2019 – Having helped successfully deliver major victories for sustainable agriculture in the 2018 Farm Bill, family farmers are keeping […]
President’s FY 2020 Budget: Sustainable Agriculture Perspective
For each year President Donald Trump has been in office, he has put forward an annual budget request to Congress that included substantial cuts to federal food and farm programming. This year was no different. Last week, the President released his fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget, which recommended slashing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) […]
RELEASE: President’s Budget Puts Agriculture Back on the Chopping Block
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net President’s Budget Puts Agriculture Back on the Chopping BlockFamily farmers, rural communities, and food insecure families face $2 billion cut to services Washington, DC, March 11, 2019 – Seemingly unphased by Congress’ resounding rejection of his previously proposed budget cuts to agriculture spending, today the President recommended […]
Sustainable Agriculture Priorities in the FY 2019 Appropriations Bill
Last week, the House and Senate were finally able to agree on and finalize spending levels for the seven remaining appropriations bills not yet signed into law – including funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The final appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2019 passed by […]
RELEASE: Long-awaited Wins for Sustainable Agriculture Finally Delivered in FY 2019 Appropriations Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Long-awaited Wins for Sustainable Agriculture Finally Delivered in FY 2019 Appropriations Bill “Minibus” increases funding for core sustainable agriculture programs, rejects Administration’s planned relocation of USDA research agencies Washington, DC, February 14, 2019 – After months of suffering through the longest government shutdown in history, America’s family farmers and ranchers are finally seeing movement on […]
COMMENT: Latest Attempt by House to Reopen Government Includes Language to Delay Reorganization of Core USDA Research Agencies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Latest Attempt by House to Reopen Government Includes Language to Delay Reorganization of Core USDA Research Agencies NSAC Praises House Effort, Urges Senate to Support Previously Conferenced Appropriations Language Washington, DC, January 18, 2019 – Yesterday, in the midst of the largely stalemated […]
Democrat-led House Passes Bill to End Shutdown, Support Sustainable Agriculture
Editor’s Note: On Thursday, January 10, the House passed their fiscal year 2019 (FY) Agriculture Appropriations bill on the floor as a standalone bill. This was the same bill that was included as part of a package of six bills, which was passed by the House (though not taken up by the Senate) last week […]
Fight for Border Wall Blocks Farm Funding, Triggers Shutdown
Just one day after the President signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – the department tasked with implementing the new law – was forced to close its doors as part of a partial government shutdown. Last night at midnight, funding expired for both USDA and the Food and […]
RELEASE: New Bill Insists USDA Research Agencies Remain in Nation’s Capital
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net New Bill Insists USDA Research Agencies Remain in Nation’s Capital Agriculture Research Integrity Act of 2018 (HR 7330) introduced today Washington DC, December 20, 2018 – Responding to the Trump Administration’s plan to relocate and reorganize the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the […]
Congress Averts Shutdown, Delays FY 2019 Appropriations Decisions
With the clock on their last Continuing Resolution (CR) quickly running down, Congress last week managed to avoid a partial government shutdown by giving their extension an extension – pushing their deadline to set spending levels from December 7 to December 21. Earlier in the year, it seemed that Congress might be able to pass […]
Congress Returns, Post-Election Agenda Looms
After months on the campaign trail, Congress returns to Capitol Hill this week with a major legislative to-do list. Among the priorities for Members in the remaining weeks of 2018 will be to finalize the overdue 2018 Farm Bill and fiscal year (FY) 2019 appropriations package that includes food and agriculture spending for the year. With several new Members joining the ranks of the […]
Continuing Resolution Passes House, Agriculture “Minibus” Stuck
Earlier this week, the House passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) for spending bills that have not yet been passed, which would extend government funding levels from fiscal year (FY) 2018 through December 7 of this year. The CR was passed as part of a “minibus” spending bill package (H.R. 6157) that included FY 2019 funding […]
Agriculture Spending Negotiations Move Forward, NSAC Submits Conference Priorities
Congress has less than 10 legislative days left to fund the government for fiscal year (FY) 2019 in order to avoid a shutdown. In order to keep the government running, congressional appropriators are working overtime to negotiate the differences between House and Senate spending bills before September 30 (when the current fiscal year’s funding expires). […]
Agriculture Spending Bill May Move in September
One of the basic tasks of Congress is to pass the set of 12 annual spending bills (appropriations) that fund the government and all its many programs and services. The appropriations bills include all spending items other than those that are mandated by Congress and occur automatically. The deadline for Congress to act on appropriations […]
Farmers Take Sustainable Agriculture Priorities to Congress
Last week, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) hosted our second farmer fly-in of 2018, bringing in farmer advocates from across the country to make their priorities known on Capitol Hill. Ten growers and advocates from Alabama, California, Mississippi, Montana, Georgia, Kansas, North Dakota, Oregon, Michigan, and Vermont took time out of their busy schedules […]
Administration Seeks to Poach Nearly $1 Billion from Agriculture Programs
Last budget cycle, advocacy groups like the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) helped to push a strong budget package through Congress, one which the President ultimately – if reluctantly – signed. Immediately after that budget deal was done and a fiscal year (FY) 2018 appropriations omnibus was delivered (with an extra $2 billion for agriculture […]
Senate Appropriators Advance FY 2019 Agriculture Funding Bill
Each year, Congress passes far-reaching funding legislation, known as appropriations legislation, to fund federal programs across the government. This includes many of the programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On Thursday May 24, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) […]
House Agriculture FY 2019 Appropriations Bill Advances
This week has been a perfect embodiment of the popular expression, “when it rains, it pours.” Not only has the House – and the sustainable agriculture advocacy community – been busy trying to finalize and pass their version of the 2018 Farm Bill (the bill failed 198-213), they’ve had their hands full with fiscal year […]
House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Advances FY 2019 Funding Bill
Each year, Congress passes far-reaching funding legislation, known as appropriations legislation, to fund federal programs across the government. This includes many of the programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On Wednesday, May 9, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed its agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year […]
Welcome Back, Congress: FY 2019 Appropriations Update
For weeks, all eyes have been on the congressional agriculture committees as debate of the 2018 Farm Bill has steadily ramped up. This week, however, our attention turns to the appropriations committees and the upcoming fiscal year (FY) 2019 spending bills. Members of both chambers have just returned from a week-long congressional recess, and the […]
SARE Celebrates 30 Years, Looks Forward to $35M in FY 2018 Funding
There was a lot to celebrate last week at the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program’s (SARE) Our Farms, Our Future conference in St. Louis, MO. For one, SARE and the Appropriate Technology Transfer to Rural Areas (ATTRA) program were celebrating their 30th anniversaries and all the amazing accomplishments each program had helped to make […]