NMPF helped secure important financial support for numerous priorities in the final government spending bill for Fiscal Year 2022, which President Biden signed into law in March. Key dairy provisions include:
- $6 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and $440 million for commodity assistance programs, including $332 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and $81 million for TEFAP administration. Additionally, the measure provides $3 million for the Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives Projects authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill to create pilot programs to increase milk consumption among SNAP households. This represents an increase of $2 million over FY 2021.
- $486 million for the ReConnect program, the USDA Rural Development program working to provide broadband service to eligible rural areas.
- $25 million for the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives program, which provides direct technical assistance and grants to dairy businesses to further the development, production, marketing, and distribution of dairy products. This is an increase of $1 million over Fiscal Year 2021.
- $10 million for the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, a USDA program aimed at connecting those working in agriculture to stress assistance and support programs.
- $1 million for FDA to seek solutions on regulating ingredient claims on animal feed additives as foods, not drugs. NMPF led efforts in Congress to secure this important component of dairy’s sustainability efforts and policy agenda that will provide a jumping-off point for additional work.
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