FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Comment: Proposed USDA Budget Undermines Farmers and Rural Communities Washington, DC, May 2, 2025 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued a statement in response to the Trump Administration’s release of its “skinny” budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 discretionary […]
Budget
Release: President Announces FY 2022 $6 Trillion Budget Request
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks, Associate Director of Communications and Development National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 President Announces FY 2022 $6 Trillion Budget RequestThe request would significantly increase USDA funding and advance infrastructure and jobs Washington, DC, May 28, 2021 – Today, the Biden-Harris Administration released the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget request. […]
RELEASE: House Agriculture Committee Includes Needed Aid in Budget Reconciliation Provisions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Eric Deeble, Policy DirectorNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) edeeble@sustainableagriculture.net House Agriculture Committee Includes Needed Aid in Budget Reconciliation ProvisionsCOVID-19 Funding Will Assist with Farm and Food System Response and Recovery February 9th, 2021, Washington, DC — Today, the House of Representatives released the Agriculture and Nutrition title of the FY2021 Budget Reconciliation […]
The President’s FY 2021 Budget Proposal and Sustainable Agriculture Priorities
Once again President Trump has offered a budget request to Congress that contradicts many of his public statements regarding his Administration’s support for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. Like each of the previous budget request proposed by President Trump, the fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget includes substantial cuts to federal food and farm programs. President […]
COMMENT: Mandatory Farm Bill Funds Traded Away in Budget Negotiations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Mandatory Farm Bill Funds Traded Away in Budget Negotiations Washington, DC, August 1, 2019 – After months of handwringing and tense negotiations, today Congress passed – and the President is expected to sign – a two-year budget deal that sets overall funding levels […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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) […]
COMMENT: Progress Toward Building More Sustainable Food System Threatened by Cut
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Progress Toward Building a More Sustainable Food System Threatened by Cuts Attacks on key programs would undermine Congress’ recent progress Washington, DC, May 9, 2018 – The budget and appropriations news released this week, which includes the House’s passage of their FY 2019 […]
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 […]
President’s Budget Proposal Threatens Food, Farm, and Nutrition Programs
The deeply problematic proposals of the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2019 budget, released on Monday of this week, include devastating cuts to critical farm and food programs. The budget, if enacted, would reduce the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) budget by a whopping 25 percent, from $24 billion to $18 billion. In addition to cutting […]
RELEASE: President’s Budget Seeks to Undermine Historic Investments in American Agriculture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net President’s Budget Seeks to Undermine Historic Investments in American Agriculture National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Urges Congress to Reject Anti-Farmer Proposals Washington, DC, February 12, 2018 – The President’s FY 2019 budget request, released earlier today, is the most anti-rural, anti-farmer proposal the agriculture community […]
What the Budget Deal Means for American Agriculture
After months of negotiations, the House and Senate have finally reached a two-year budget deal to keep the government running, increase annual discretionary spending caps for defense and non-defense programs ($300 billion), and provide disaster relief ($89 billion). The Senate passed the bill 71-28 around 2am this morning, and the House followed shortly thereafter with […]
Welcome Back Congress: New Year, Long To-Do List
Less than two weeks into the new year, and Congress already has an incredibly full plate. Both the House and Senate return to work this week (the Senate has officially been back since last week), and will need to immediately dig in their massive to-do lists, not least of which include finalizing fiscal year (FY) […]
Welcome Back Congress: A Look Ahead
Each year, Members of Congress head back to their home districts for a month-long legislative break known as “August recess”. With the holiday weekend over and September in full swing, Members are returning to the capital this week with a full schedule of big-ticket items ahead of them – many of which must be completed […]
House Budget Committee’s Spending Proposal Could Derail Farm Bill
Late in the evening of July 17th, following over twelve hours of debate and markup, the House Budget Committee passed its budget parameters for fiscal year (FY) 2018. The budget, which was voted out of Committee along partisan lines (22 Republicans voting in favor and 14 Democrats against), includes a directive for the Agriculture Committee […]
Congressional Appropriators Question Secretary Perdue on USDA Budget and Reorganization Plans
On Tuesday, June 13, shortly after appropriators received a letter from nearly 600 organizations, businesses, and local governments opposing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) plan to eliminate its Rural Development Mission Area, the Secretary of Agriculture returned to Capitol Hill to once again defend his plans for a Departmental reorganization. This week, the Secretary […]
USDA Secretary Testifies on Administration’s Budget Proposal, Department Reorganization
One day after the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget was released, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue headed to Capitol Hill to testify before the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. This subcommittee, along with its counterpart in the Senate, is comprised of the members of Congress who will ultimately determine discretionary funding levels […]
Trump’s Proposed Budget Cuts Would Spell Disaster for Rural America
The outcry from farmers, farm and food groups, and Members of Congress came swiftly this week following the release of President Trump’s fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget proposal. The nation got its initial preview of the Administration’s priorities this March in an outline budget document termed “the skinny budget”. This week the full proposal, which […]
RELEASE: Budget Proposal Throws Administration’s Promises to Rural America Out the Window
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, RKovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Budget Proposal Throws Administration’s Promises to Rural America Out the Window Washington, DC, May 23, 2017 – President Trump’s FY 2018 budget request – “A New Foundation for American Greatness” – seeks to cut nearly $230 billion (21 percent) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) bottom line, […]