Federal funding for food and agriculture public research has stagnated for decades, declining in real terms even while other federal agencies have seen their budgets trend steadily upward and even while China has long since overtaken the US as the major public investor in the sector. Yet, our food and agricultural system is a key […]
appropriations
Congress Clears FY 2020 Appropriations Packages
This week, after months of delay, Congress passed a much-anticipated deal to fund the government through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2020. FY 2020 runs through September 30, 2020. The $1.4 trillion package of discretionary spending bills, which was divided up into two “minibuses”, was finally delivered this week after months of rigorous advocacy […]
COMMENT: FY 2020 “Minibus” Bolsters Farm Bill Wins for Sustainable Agriculture
The final appropriations package builds upon the sustainable agriculture community’s hard-fought farm bill wins and delivers much-needed support to family farmers across the country at a time when good news is increasingly hard to come by. … Read More →
COMMENT: Senate Advances Agriculture Appropriations Bill
Today, the Senate passed on the floor, as part of a four bill “minibus”, the final version of their Agriculture Appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2019…. Read More →
Senate Appropriations Bill Underfunds Priority Farm and Food Programs
With only six days left in the current fiscal year (FY), Congress is slowly but surely making progress on a final funding package for FY 2020. Last week, the Senate moved the ball forward by “marking up” and passing their agriculture appropriations bill out of both the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee and full Senate Appropriations […]
RELEASE: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Urges Congress Not to Shortchange Farmers in FY 2020 Appropriations Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Urges Congress Not to Shortchange Farmers in FY 2020 Appropriations Bill Washington, DC, September 20, 2019 – Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced their funding priorities for several spending bills (including agriculture) for fiscal year (FY) 2020. Disappointingly, the Senate bill […]
Congress Returns from Recess, Another Shutdown Threat Looms
Every August, Members of Congress head home for a month long legislative break known as “August recess” – which typically spills over through the Labor Day holiday. Now that August has come and gone, Members in both the House and the Senate are returning to the capital with a full schedule ahead of them. What’s […]
Two-Year Budget Deal Includes Major Offsets, Impacts Farm + Food Programs
After months of uncertainty and start-and-stop negotiations between Congress and the White House, last week congressional leaders finally announced a two-year budget agreement. In addition to setting top-line funding levels so that the government can keep running, the budget deal sets annual discretionary spending caps for defense and non-defense programs for fiscal years (FY) 2020 […]
From the Farm to the Hill: NSAC Hosts FY 2020 Farmer Fly-in
Last week, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) brought in over a dozen farmers and advocates for the Coalition’s second “farmer fly-in” of 2019. Fly-in advocates from ten different states across the country came to DC to champion the federal programs important to them and their communities before congressional appropriators. Currently, Congress is negotiating federal […]
House Funding Bill Includes Strong Support for Sustainable Agriculture
Appropriations season is well underway in the nation’s capital, with the House clearing the way for a bill that would boost funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration for the next fiscal year, starting on September 30. The fiscal year (FY) 2020 “minibus” appropriations bill passed this week by […]
Appropriations Victories in Sight, Farmers Flock to DC to Keep Momentum Going
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture CoalitionP: 202-547-5754, E: rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Appropriations Victories in Sight, Farmers Flock to DC to Keep Momentum GoingNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition fly-in participants hope to secure FY 2020 appropriations wins in final spending package Washington, D.C., June 27, 2019 – With big wins already secured for sustainable agriculture in […]
Appropriations Committee Sends Agriculture Funding Bill to House Floor
Editor’s Note: The House passed their FY 2020 minibus appropriations bill (including agriculture) 227:194 on June 24, 2019. This week, the House Appropriations Committee debated and advanced their Agriculture Appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2020. The bill passed in Committee 29-21 along party lines, and will now be sent to the floor of the […]
House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Advances FY 2020 Funding Bill
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed its fiscal year (FY) 2020 bill just ahead of Congress’ Memorial Day recess, bringing them one step closer to providing funding for food and agriculture programs for FY 2020. The agriculture appropriations bill includes funding for a wide range of farm and food programs, including conservation initiatives, beginning farmer […]
RELEASE: FY 2020 House Agriculture Appropriations Bill Proposes to Block ERS NIFA Relocation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net FY 2020 House Agriculture Appropriations Bill Proposes to Block ERS NIFA RelocationNSAC applauds agriculture appropriators for proposal to block ERS NIFA relocation and realignment, investments in sustainable agriculture priorities Washington, DC, May 22, 2019 – This morning the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee released […]
FY 2020 Budget Update – What’s at Stake?
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 […]
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 […]
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) […]
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 […]
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 […]