Articles Tagged with ''House Appropriations Committee''

USDA has sharply raised its forecast for food inflation this year.

Lawmakers are well into their preparatory hearings for writing the next farm bill. But a veteran Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee suggests the bill’s fate is going to hinge on whether lawmakers come up with more funding for it.

The House Appropriations Committee advanced a $27.2 billion spending bill for the Agriculture Department and Food and Drug Administration that would provide significant new funding for conservation technical assistance, rural broadband and food safety.

The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected this week to approve proposals aimed at weakening the market power of meatpackers but have long divided producers.

Ag groups are debating once again the idea of a permanent disaster aid program, but congressional budget rules and concerns about the crop insurance system are likely to make it as difficult as ever for lawmakers to agree on a proposal.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, already grappling with the infant formula crisis, told lawmakers Thursday the agency lacks the leadership and staff to properly regulate food safety and appealed for more funding.

Senators are trying to find an agreement on a new Ukraine supplemental spending bill by the end of this week, while Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and other cabinet members head to Capitol Hill for questioning about their spending plans.

Democrats hope to get President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill to the finish line in December, but first they face a more urgent stalemate with Republicans ahead of Friday’s expiration of a stopgap funding bill.