The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee released its spending bill for FY2024 Wednesday night, slashing USDA spending and Secretary Tom Vilsack’s use of the Commodity Credit Corporation.
The bill provides $26.3 billion for total funding, which is $532 million below the 2023 funding level. House GOP lawmakers set aside $17.1 billion for the Department of Agriculture, which is $8.6 billion below current fiscal year spending and $11.7 billion below the budget request.
The bill also provides $8.1 billion in funding repurposed from unobligated balances from pandemic-era programs. It reduces billions of dollars in spending from American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act. Those changes include a $32 billion decrease in mandatory SNAP spending from FY23 levels due to the end of pandemic-era benefits and a decrease in participation rates.
The proposal also eliminates funding for equity initiatives and climate change and saves $1 billion by restricting the discretionary use of the Commodity Credit Corporation.
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee is scheduled to markup the bill Thursday morning.
