On May 14, the House Agriculture Committee voted 29-25 along party lines to advance its reconciliation bill. While the measure contains many impactful provisions, perhaps the most notable is the inclusion of reauthorization language for the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program. Until now, SRS reauthorization has been stalled in the House of Representatives, despite significant bipartisan support in the Senate.
The inclusion of SRS reauthorization funding brings hope to the long overdue restoration of the Secure Rural Schools funding vital California rural communities and beyond, the measure would provide other key funding as well including an increase in agriculture-related spending by an estimated $59 billion over 10 years, according to preliminary figures from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The proposal also includes major investments in the farm safety net, crop insurance, trade promotion, animal disease response, and rural development.
Approximately $45.8 billion would go toward strengthening the farm safety net through a 10% to 20% increase in commodity reference prices. The bill would also expand premium assistance for crop insurance at a projected cost of $6 billion and invest $2.1 billion in trade promotion programs such as the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program. The bill also includes $1.1 billion for specialty crop programs and $471 million for SRS.
These new investments are offset by more than $300 billion in estimated savings from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), exceeding the committee’s instructed $230 billion in cuts. The proposal would require states to contribute to SNAP costs, starting with a 5% baseline share and increasing based on state error rates. While Democrats offered multiple amendments to block the SNAP changes, all were rejected.
For more information about SRS Reauthorization, contact RCRC Senior Policy Advocate, Staci Heaton.
Agriculture Committee Chair GT Thompson (R-PA) has framed the package as a bridge to passing a “skinny” farm bill before the current law expires at the end of September. The reconciliation measure headed to the House Budget Committee on Friday and, as of this writing, is held in committee.
For more information about the budget reconciliation, contact RCRC Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, Mary-Ann Warmerdam.