The FY2008 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Agriculture
The FY2008 Budget Request for the
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Coordinated by Jim Monke
Analyst in Agricultural Policy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Summary
The Administration’s FY2008 budget request for the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) includes $92.2 billion in budget authority. Proposed discretionary
budget authority would increase 1.6% from FY2007 levels to $20.3 billion.1 Mandatory
budget authority would remain nearly steady at $71 billion; formula-driven increases in
crop insurance and domestic food assistance would offset decreases in commodity
program payments. The Administration’s 2007 farm bill proposal is largely separate
from its budget request, although a $500 million per year placeholder for new spending
is included in the FY2008 budget amounts. In its FY2008 request, the Administration
proposes to use foreign assistance funds to purchase food in foreign markets. For
agricultural research, competitive funding would replace some formula funding. Several
conservation and rural development programs would be reduced or cut. Food safety and
animal health protection programs would increase. This report will not be updated, but
will be followed by a CRS report tracking the FY2008 agriculture appropriations bill.2
Farm Support
Commodity Support. USDA administers farm price and income support
programs for commodities such as grains, cotton, oilseeds, dairy, peanuts, and sugar. The
current authorizing law, the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171), expires at the end of the 2007
crop year, and a new farm bill is expected in the 110th Congress. These mandatory
programs (as well as certain conservation and trade programs) are funded through
USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), which has a $30 billion line of credit
with the U.S. Treasury and receives an annual appropriation to replenish the line of credit.
1 Comparisons to FY2007 levels reflect the best available analysis of the enacted year-long
continuing resolution for FY2007 (P.L. 110-5), but may be subject to change.
2 Also contributing to this report: CRS analysts Geoffrey S. Becker (food inspection, and
marketing and regulatory programs), Ralph M. Chite (crop insurance), Tadlock Cowan (rural
development), Charles E. Hanrahan (agricultural trade), Renée Johnson (conservation), Jean M.
Rawson (agricultural research), and Joe Richardson (domestic food assistance).
As is customary for the mandatory farm commodity programs, the Administration
requests “such sums as necessary,” and estimates that FY2008 outlays will be $7.6 billion,
down from $8.7 billion estimated for FY2007 and $16.9 billion actual in FY2006. The
decreases are primarily the result of higher market prices, which reduce the need for
counter-cyclical and marketing loan payments. Including certain conservation and trade
programs also paid by CCC, total estimated FY2008 CCC outlays would be $11.7 billion.
The Administration’s 2007 farm bill proposal is separate from its FY2008 budget
request. The FY2008 budget request assumes the baseline continuation of the 2002 farm
bill for budgetary purposes, but includes a $500 million placeholder in the CCC account
for additional farm bill spending in FY2008. The Administration estimates its 2007 farm
bill proposal would exceed baseline by $5 billion over 10 years (thus the $500 million
placeholder). The requested increase over baseline, however, is not solely for CCC
programs; the Administration estimates its plan would cut $4.5 billion from commodity
programs, and add $7.8 billion to conservation programs, $0.5 billion for nutrition, $1.5
billion for research, and $1 billion for energy, among other changes.
To administer the farm commodity and loan programs, the Administration requests
a discretionary appropriation of $1.5 billion for Farm Service Agency (FSA) salaries and
expenses in FY2008, up about 20% over FY2007. Much of the increase, however, is for
technology expenses previously funded through other USDA accounts; the number of
staff years would increase by about 65, or about 0.5%.
Crop Insurance. As is customary, the Administration requests “such sums as
necessary” for the mandatory Federal Crop Insurance Fund, which mainly covers federal
crop insurance program losses, farmer premium subsidies, and private insurance company
expense reimbursements. The Administration estimates that FY2008 budget authority for
the fund will be $4.81 billion, up from an estimated $4.37 billion in FY2007. A separate
FY2008 discretionary appropriation of $79 million is requested for salaries and expenses
at USDA’s Risk Management Agency, which administers the crop insurance program.
Agricultural Credit. The Administration’s FY2008 budget requests $152 million
of loan subsidy (up 1.7% from FY2007) to support $3.4 billion in loan authority (down
although it accounts for most of the increase in loan subsidy. Administrative expenses
would increase by 3.3% to $319 million.
Conservation
The Administration proposes $825 million for discretionary conservation programs,
down over $20 million from FY2007 and $160 million from FY2006. It also proposes
changing mandatory programs, increasing outlays by $221 million to $4.0 billion.
For discretionary programs, $802 million is requested for Conservation Operations
(the largest discretionary program), which is an increase of about $42 million from
FY2007. The request does not fund the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, which
received $27 million in FY2007. Among other discretionary programs, the request calls
for no funding for Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations ($0 enacted in FY2007)
or the Watersheds Surveys and Planning ($6 million in FY2007). The request reduces the
Watershed Rehabilitation Program by about $25 million (to $6 million), and reduces the
Resource Conservation and Development Program by $36 million (to $15 million). The
latter reduction is based on a proposal to reduce the Natural Resource Conservation
Service (NRCS) staff assigned to this program from 454 to about 123 and adjust their
responsibilities and duties.
Mandatory conservation programs are funded and administered by two agencies.
Programs of the NRCS would increase by $195 million to $2.0 billion in FY2008. The
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in FSA would increase by $26 million to $2.0
billion. The request reflects recommended changes in the Administration’s broader farm
bill proposal, which proposes to consolidate some existing conservation programs. The
recommendations seek to consolidate several existing cost-share programs into a newly
designed Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) that would include the
current EQIP, the Ground and Surface Water Conservation (GSWC) program, the
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), Agricultural Management Assistance
(AMA), the Forest Land Enhancement Program, and the Klamath Basin Program. The
recommendations also seek to consolidate three existing easement programs into a new
private lands protection program, including the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection
Program (FRPP), the Grasslands Reserve Program (GRP), and the Healthy Forests
Reserve Program. The request also calls for additional FY2008 funding of $157 million
for conservation funding activities that were in the 2002 farm bill, which expire at the end
of FY2007. The request calls for $17 million in reductions for EQIP to $1.0 billion in
FY2008. Increases are proposed for CRP, the Conservation Security Program (up $57
million to $316 million), and the Wetlands Reserve Program (up $191 million to $455
million, and 250,000 acres).
Agricultural Research
The Administration’s budget request for FY2008 would provide a total of $2.31
billion for USDA’s research, extension, and economics mission area.
The request calls for $1.03 billion for USDA’s intramural science agency, the
Agricultural Research Service. Of that amount, $1.02 billion would support ARS’s
research activities, and $16 million would support the planning and design of a
biocontainment laboratory and consolidated poultry research facility in Athens, Georgia.
As in previous years, the Administration proposes termination of more than 100 research
projects that it does not consider to be of high priority, and redirects some of the funds to
support research on avian influenza, bioterrorism protection, and obesity prevention.
The Administration proposes $1.02 billion in FY2008 for the Cooperative State
Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), the agency that sends federal
funds to land grant colleges of agriculture. Of the total, $562.5 million would support
state-level research and teaching programs. The request would increase the proportion
of research funds awarded competitively, primarily by providing $256.5 million for the
National Research Initiative (NRI) competitive grants program, up from $190 million in
FY2007. Reductions in formula funds for state-level research in agriculture, forestry, and
veterinary science would partially offset the proposed NRI increase, with the exception
of formula funds for the 1890 historically black land grant schools, which would receive
a $1 million increase (about +3%). The Administration proposes a $3 million increase,
to $40.5 million, in funding for academic programs at the state level. Budget categories
under which Congress usually provides support for research projects at specific land grant
institutions are targeted for a substantial decrease in funding, as in past budget requests.
The budget contains $431 million for the continuing education and outreach
activities of the Extension System in the states (level with FY2007). Formula funds for
extension are proposed to increase slightly, while funding for budget categories under
which Congress traditionally provides support for extension projects at specific land grant
institutions would decrease substantially.
The Administration is requesting $82.5 million for USDA’s Economic Research
Service, an increase from $75 million in FY2007. For the National Agricultural Statistics
Service, the budget proposes $167.7 million, an increase from $146.5 million in FY2007.
Meat and Poultry Inspection
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) conducts mandatory inspection
of meat, poultry, and processed egg products to insure their safety and proper labeling.
The FY2008 budget proposes a $1.065 billion program level for FSIS, of which $135
million would be funded by existing user fees, and $930 million by appropriation. The
$930 million is about $44 million above the enacted FY2007 level. Within the overall
increase is $22 million to expand FSIS activities related to USDA food defense and
biosurveillance. The Administration also proposes new user fees to offset another $96
million in annual appropriations, beginning in FY2009.
Marketing and Regulatory Programs
For the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the USDA agency that
protects U.S. agriculture from domestic and foreign pests and diseases, the FY2008
budget request proposes an appropriation of $946 million, an increase of about $100
million above the FY2007 appropriation. The Administration notes that APHIS would
receive $77 million of the $82 million slated for all USDA efforts on highly pathogenic
avian influenza (particularly the H5N1 strain that has spread overseas). The FY2008
budget requests a nearly constant appropriation for the Agricultural Marketing Service
(AMS), and a nearly $7 million increase (+18%) for the Grain Inspection, Packers, and
Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). Each agency receives user fees in addition to
appropriations, and the Administration again proposes new user fees for APHIS ($9
million), as well as for GIPSA ($22 million).
Agricultural Trade and Food Aid
USDA’s international activities are funded by discretionary appropriations (e.g.,
foreign food assistance under P.L. 480) and by using the borrowing authority of the CCC
(e.g., export credit guarantees, market development programs, and export subsidies).
Combined, the total program value for FY2008 would be $4.6 billion, with $1.49 billion
appropriated. The FY2008 program level is $392 million more than FY2007, with most
of the difference accounted for by anticipated increases in the value of short-term export
credit guarantees. The Administration requests an appropriation of $173 million for the
Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) to administer its international programs.
For P.L. 480 foreign food assistance, the Administration requests a $1.2 billion
appropriation ($1.3 billion program value with carryover and reimbursements), all of it
for Title II commodity donations. The President’s budget requests no funds for P.L. 480
Title I loans, nor any for the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, which currently holds
900,000 metric tons of wheat and $107 million in cash. The budget assumes $163 million
of CCC funds for the Food for Progress (FFP) program, which provides food aid to
emerging democracies. The absence of Title I funds would effectively reduce spending
on FFP. For the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition
Program, the request is for a constant $100 million appropriation. Proposed appropriations
language (and the Administration’s farm bill proposal) would allow the Administrator of
USAID to use up to 25% of P.L. 480 Title II funds for local or regional purchases of
commodities in food crises. Congress rejected a similar request in FY2006 and FY2007.
CCC export credit guarantee programs secure commercial financing of U.S.
agricultural exports. The estimated FY2008 program level of $2.4 billion, all for short-
term guarantees, reflects the U.S. response to the World Trade Organization ruling in the
U.S.-Brazil cotton dispute. Long-term guarantees are suspended, the fee structure is risk-
based, and high-risk countries are eliminated. The Supplier Credit Guarantee Program
would receive $200 million “pending review,” but USDA’s farm bill proposal would
repeal the program due to defaults and evidence of fraud. The Market Access Program,
which primarily promotes sales of high-value products, would receive $200 million of
CCC funds (the authorized level). The Foreign Market Development Program, mainly
promoting bulk commodities, would receive the farm bill-authorized $34.5 million.
Rural Development
Three agencies are responsible for rural development: the Rural Housing Service
(RHS), the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), and the Rural Utilities Service
(RUS). The mission area also administers the rural portion of the Empowerment Zones
and Enterprise Communities Initiative, the Rural Economic Partnership Zones, and the
National Rural Development Partnership.
For FY2008, the Administration is requesting a program level of $14.9 billion for
direct and guaranteed loans, grants, and loan subsidies. This program level would be
supported by a requested appropriation of $2.05 billion (including salaries and expenses).
The FY2008 request is approximately $23 million more in budget authority and $985
million more in program level than estimated for FY2007. The request is about $550
million less in budget authority and $719 million less in program level than for FY2006.
The Administration is requesting that the three funding accounts in the Rural
Community Advancement Program (RCAP) no longer be combined under RCAP.
Instead, each account would be funded separately with separate appropriations language.
For the Community Facilities account in RHS, the Administration requests budget
authority of $24.5 million and would terminate a grant program. For water and waste
water loan and grants, and the solid waste management programs in RUS, the
Administration requests $503 million. For the Business Development account in RBS,
the request is $43.2 million in budget authority.
The Administration requests no appropriation for direct loans for the Distance
Learning and Telemedicine Program; grants would remain at the FY2007 level of $25
million. For broadband programs, the Administration requests $300 million in direct
loans; no funding is requested for grants ($9 million enacted in FY2007). The
Administration also requests terminating the “Community Connect” broadband program.
Funding for the Value-Added Producer Grants Program would decrease from FY2007
levels to $15 million (25% percent decrease), and give priority to special crop projects.
The Administration also proposes terminating direct loans for the rural multifamily rental
housing program and the single family housing program.
Other programs proposed for termination include the Empowerment Zone and
Enterprise Community (EZ/EC) Program, the Community Facility Grant Program, and
the Economic Impact Grants Program. Some funding in the Rural Business Account and
the Community Facilities Program from RCAP, however, is targeted to EZ/EC and Rural
Economic Areas Program (REAP) sites. The Administration also proposes eliminating
Rural Business Enterprise Grants and Rural Business Opportunity Grants.
Domestic Food Assistance
Domestic food assistance represents the majority of the USDA budget. Most of these
programs are mandatory spending, including food stamps, the Emergency Food
Assistance Program (TEFAP), nutrition assistance grants for Puerto Rico and outlying
areas, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), and child nutrition
programs (school lunches). In addition, two significant programs receive discretionary
funding: the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
(the WIC program) and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).
With the exception of the WIC program and the CSFP, the budget proposes “full
funding” for domestic food assistance, based on projections of participation and inflation.
It also provides contingency funds for the Food Stamp and WIC programs in case the
Administration’s estimates prove off the mark. FY2008 appropriations covering USDA-
funded domestic food aid would total $59.4 billion (including $3 billion in contingency
funding), an estimated increase of $2.5 billion from FY2007. Projected total spending
(obligations) would increase by slightly less ($2.4 billion), to about $56.4 billion.
Costs funded from the food stamp account are expected to rise by some $1.7 billion,
and child nutrition spending would grow by $700 million — to $36.9 billion and $13.9
billion, respectively. These increases are driven by expected new participants and benefit
indexing. Separate from its FY2008 budget, the Administration’s 2007 farm bill
recommendations include changes affecting food stamps, the FDPIR, and child nutrition
programs. Major food stamp proposals would loosen eligibility rules for those with
retirement/education savings, increase benefits for those with dependent-care expenses,
and limit eligibility for those receiving other public assistance; the FDPIR would receive
added administrative funding. For child nutrition programs, the Administration has
proposed new spending for fruit and vegetables.
FY2008 appropriations for the WIC program would grow by about $200 million
over the estimated amount available for FY2007, to $5.4 billion. The estimated net
spending increase would be relatively minimal (about $70 million) because of a proposal
to limit payments for WIC nutrition services and administration, and to restrict WIC
eligibility for Medicaid recipients. In the case of the CSFP, the Administration’s FY2008
budget proposes (as it did, unsuccessfully, for FY2007) to terminate the program. The
more than $100 million savings from this action would be offset with some increased
costs for food stamp outreach and benefits to former CSFP recipients.