Posted March 6, 2014
Tuesday, the White House proposed almost $24 billion in
discretionary spending for the U.S. Agriculture Department in its fiscal year
2015 budget proposal, $2.5 billion less than the previous year, according to an
article by the Des Moines Register available here.
The USDA’s overall request is $140 billion, but about
83 percent of that consists of mandatory programs such as crop insurance and
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
USDA would cut its crop insurance program to $8.6
billion, 15 percent lower than the previous year. The federal crop insurance program “traditionally
has been profitable for the companies that administer it, in large part because
the government pays about 60 percent of the premiums and covers about $1
billion in administrative costs for the insurers each year.”
The budget proposal would also reinstate several
expired tax provisions, such as credits for cellulosic biofuel and wind energy
production.
Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack’s statement on the
USDA budget proposal is available here. Vilsack said, “The President’s 2015 USDA
budget proposal achieves reform and results for the American taxpayer; fosters
opportunity for the men and women living, working and raising families in rural
America; and supports innovation through strategic, future-focused investments.”
Please visit the National Agricultural Law Center's website for more information on crop insurance, biofuels, or SNAP.
