Agriculture Programs Alive After House Passes Continuing Resolution

(WASHINGTON, DC) Last week, the House passed a continuing resolution (CR) aimed at keeping the government running through late November. For agriculture, the biggest concern with the move is the focus that’s been moved to the Commodity Credit Corporation’s (CCC) $30 billion borrowing authority. The CCC funds are used by USDA to pay for farm programs like ARC and PLC, but also the $16 billion Market Facilitation Program (MFP) implemented earlier this year at the direction of President Trump. Democratic House Leaders had proposed the elimination of the funds to USDA but a quick response by Democratic leaders in the House Agriculture Committee squashed the plan hatched by House Appropriations Chair Nita Lowey (NJ-D). She did get a small win as House lawmakers will require USDA to provide by estimates for its MFP payments in the calendar year 2018 and 2019 by October 31st. In a statement after Democratic leadership decided to allow the borrowing authority, senior House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee member Rosa DeLauro (CT-D) reasserted her concerns about the MFP program and demanded a briefing from USDA officials about how the funds are being distributed.