House Appropriations Committee Republicans released their fiscal year 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow. This bill increases costs for rural communities and cuts funding for programs that support farmers and help hardworking people feed their families.
The bill provides discretionary funding of $26.3 billion which is a $1.1 billion, or 4 percent, cut below fiscal year 2026. The bill:
- Increases costs for farmers and rural communities by steeply cutting critical investments, including water and waste grants to help the poorest communities get safer water services, and slashing the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) loans in half.
- Hurts farmers by cutting the number of federal and local employees who help them access government resources they are promised.
- Threatens access to food for hardworking and vulnerable Americans, failing to ensure that every eligible recipient can access their benefits, by not providing the full fruit and vegetable benefit to USDA's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
- Slashes Food for Peace, which provides American farmers with additional revenue and helps feed hungry children around the globe, while USDA proceeds to start implementing the program after the administration gutted USAID.
“At a time when farmers and rural families across America are struggling to afford food, rent, and fuel, with Medicaid cuts straining rural hospitals and the cost of health insurance skyrocketing, this bill represents a good faith effort to meet the moment. While it is far from perfect, there are critical things that warrant its support,” Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-02) said.
Source : house.gov