Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
On May 31, the House Appropriations Committee approved, by voice vote, the FY2012 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies spending bill (H.R. 2112). The Agriculture subcommittee approved the measure on May 24 (see The Source, 5/27/11).
According to the committee summary and report, the bill would provide $17.25 billion in discretionary funding for FY2012. This amount is $2.669 billion below FY2011 and $5.039 billion below President Obama’s request (p. 1). Mandatory programs would be funded at $108 billion in FY2012, for a total of roughly $125.25 billion in overall funding. The following chart details spending levels for programs within the bill that are important to women and their families.
| Program/Agency | FY2011 CR | President’s Request | Subcommittee Mark |
|
Department of Agriculture |
|||
| Child Nutrition Programs (p. 41) | $17.32 billion | $18.811 billion | $18.771 billion |
| Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (p. 42) | $6.734 billion | $7.39 billion | $6.047 billion (as amended) |
| Special Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as Food Stamps) (p. 44) | $65.207 billion | $73.184 billion | $71.173 billion |
| Commodity Assistance Program (p. 45) | $246.126 million | $249.619 million | $192.5 million |
| P.L. 480 Food for Peace Title II | $1.497 billion | $1.69 billion | $1.04 billion |
| McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition | $199.101 million | $200.5 million | $180 million |
|
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) |
|||
| FDA (p. 51) | $2.447 billion | $2.731 billion | $2.163 billion |
| User fees (p. 51) | $1.233 billion | $1.52 billion | $1.491 billion |
The committee would set WIC infrastructure expenditures at $14 million, “which includes funding to develop EBT systems.” (p. 43). The bill also would continue the breastfeeding peer counseling program, funding it at $75 million (p. 44).
The committee also expresses its concern over the rapid expansion of eligibility for WIC: “WIC provides nutritional support to some of the most vulnerable individuals in the U.S. population. However, due to the nation’s overall financial crisis and the rapidly expanding needs of other Federal nutrition programs administered by FNS [Food and Nutrition Service], the committee recommends that the agency focus first on the nutritional needs of those originally envisioned in the creation of this program. While the committee understands the need to seek efficiencies through the use of categorical eligibility, the committee is concerned that USDA is expanding eligibility well beyond the neediest or hardest hit during the economic downturn. In particular, USDA has confirmed that the WIC program is now serving significant numbers of individuals with incomes above 185 percent of the U.S. Poverty Income Guidelines, including seven states that use income eligibility limits above 250 percent of poverty.” (p. 43-44).
The measure would not provide $35 million for the Healthy Food Initiative, as requested by the president (p. 6).
During consideration of the bill, the committee approved, by voice vote, an amendment by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) to transfer $147 million from a fund for cotton settlement payments for Brazil to WIC.
Defense
On June 1, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense approved, by voice vote, the FY2012 Defense spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).
According to the committee chart, the bill would provide $649.223 billion in mandatory and discretionary funding for FY2012. This amount is $21.917 billion less than FY2011 and $8.074 billion less than President Obama’s request.
The overall funding includes $118.567 billion for overseas contingency operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, $132.092 billion for military personnel, and $32.317 billion for the Defense Health Program. Included in the amount for military health programs is $223 million for cancer research and $8 million for HIV prevention education activities undertaken in connection with military training, exercises, and humanitarian assistance conducted primarily in Africa.
More details will be made available when the committee issues its report.
