	Scope of the Agriculture Appropriations Bill

The Agriculture appropriations bill—formally known as the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act—provides funding for:
All of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) except the Forest Service, which is funded in the Interior appropriations bill, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Department of Health and Human Services, and In the House, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The bill includes mandatory and discretionary spending, but the discretionary amounts are the primary focus during the bill's development. Within the discretionary total, the largest discretionary spending items are for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), agricultural research, rural development, FDA, foreign food aid and trade, farm assistance program salaries and loans, food safety inspection, conservation, and animal and plant health programs ( Figure 1 ). The main mandatory spending items are the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, and other food and nutrition act programs), child nutrition (school lunch and related programs), crop insurance, and farm commodity and conservation programs paid through USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). Action on FY2016 Appropriations6

The FY2016 Agriculture Appropriation was enacted as part of an omnibus bill on December 18, 2015 ( P.L. Separate Agriculture bills were reported in both chambers, but neither went to the floor ( H.R. 3049 , S. 1800 ). The fiscal year began under three continuing resolutions. Summary of FY2016 Appropriation Amounts

The enacted omnibus appropriation uses a budget allocation that was provided in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 ( P.L. 114-74 , November 2, 2015), which was greater than what was available to develop the House- and Senate-reported bills. The final Agriculture appropriation provides $21.750 billion for discretionary amounts ( Table 2 ). Comparison of Amounts for FY2016

The enacted FY2016 Agriculture appropriations act provides $21.75 billion of discretionary spending, which is an increase of $925 million over FY2015 (+4.4%), after adjusting for CFTC jurisdiction. Food for Peace grants for international food aid receive an extra $250 million. The Agricultural Research Service receives $178 million more than FY2015 (+15%), mostly for buildings and facilities. Emergency conservation, watershed, and forestry programs receive $157 million more than in FY2015, some of it offset by a disaster declaration. Policy Changes

In addition to specifying the amounts of budget authority, the appropriation prescribes various policies or conditions that affect how some agencies may use their appropriation. Among the notable policy-related provisions that are discussed in more detail in the relevant sections later: 
Some country-of-origin labeling (COOL) laws are permanently repealed. Horse slaughter facility inspection continues to be prohibited for the fiscal year. Imports of processed poultry from China are forbidden for certain nutrition programs. Wh ole grain and sodium requirements in the child nutrition programs are to be implemented with continued flexibility. The appropriation directs some terms for the formation of dietary guidelines . Among policy changes, the FY2016 appropriation restores the use of "commodity certificates" for the marketing loan program, including not being subject to payment limits (§740). 114-113 .
The Agriculture appropriations bill funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), except for the Forest Service. It also funds the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and—in even-numbered fiscal years—the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Agriculture appropriations include both mandatory and discretionary spending. Discretionary amounts, though, are the primary focus during the bill's development since mandatory amounts generally are set by authorizing laws such as the farm bill.
The largest discretionary spending items are the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); agricultural research; FDA; rural development; foreign food aid and trade; farm assistance programs; food safety and inspection; conservation; and animal and plant health programs. The main mandatory spending items are the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), child nutrition, crop insurance, and the farm commodity and conservation programs funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation.
The FY2016 Agriculture Appropriation was enacted as part of an omnibus bill on December 18, 2015 (P.L. 114-113). Separate Agriculture bills were reported in both chambers, but neither went to the floor (H.R. 3049, S. 1800). The fiscal year began under continuing resolutions.
The enacted omnibus appropriation uses a budget allocation that was provided in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-74), which is higher than what was available to develop the House- and Senate-reported bills. The final Agriculture appropriation provides $21.750 billion for discretionary amounts, which is an increase of $925 million over FY2015 (+4.4%), after adjusting for differences in CFTC jurisdiction.
Compared to FY2015, the $925-million increase is largely allocated among a $318-million increase for the Rural Housing Service; $250 million extra for Food for Peace grants for international food aid; a $178-million increase for the Agricultural Research Service, mostly for buildings and facilities; a $132-million increase for the Food and Drug Administration, mostly for food safety; and $157 million more than last year for emergency conservation, watershed, and forestry programs, some of it offset by a disaster declaration.
In addition to specifying budget authority, the appropriation prescribes various policies or conditions that affect how some agencies may use their appropriation. Among notable policy-related provisions in the appropriation are to permanently repeal some country-of-origin labeling (COOL) laws, continue to prohibit horse slaughter facility inspection, prevent the import of processed poultry from China for certain nutrition programs, continue to implement with flexibility the whole grain and sodium requirements in the child nutrition programs, set some terms for the formation of dietary guidelines, and restore the use of commodity certificates for the marketing loan program, including not being subject to payment limits.