The minibus passed both chambers by more than two-thirds majorities on November 17, 2011. It reduces regular discretionary Agriculture appropriations by $372 million to $19.8 billion, a cut of -1.8% below FY2011 levels after adjusting for disaster designations and certain jurisdiction issues. 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 the following agencies and departments:
all of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (except the Forest Service, which is funded by 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). It was the lead division of a three-bill "minibus" appropriation that also included Commerce-Justice-Science and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development appropriations. The minibus was the first FY2012 appropriation to be enacted, and it also included another short-term continuing resolution, through December 16, 2011, for the remaining nine appropriations bills. The Agriculture bill was the vehicle for the minibus since it was the only one of the three subcommittee bills in the minibus to have passed the House. The House-passed bill would have cut discretionary Agriculture appropriations to $17.2 billion, 14% below FY2011 levels, following a 15% cut in FY2011 from FY2010 levels ( able 2 ). Much of the floor debate related to funding reductions for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) feeding program (-11%), food safety (-10%), international food aid (-31%); preventing USDA payments to Brazil in relation to the U.S. loss in the WTO cotton case; and programs promoting locally produced food such as USDA's "know-your-farmer-know-your-food" initiative ( Table 3 ). This Senate total was $2.7 billion more than the House bill's discretionary total (excluding CFTC from both bills for comparison). The bill also included $367 million of conservation-related disaster assistance that was not subject to the same budgetary caps; with this spending, the appropriation is $20.2 billion, a slight increase over FY2011 levels. The FY2012 Agriculture appropriation spreads its reductions in discretionary spending by trimming most agency's budgets in the range of 3%-6%, although some programs have greater reductions. The act makes cuts to rural development programs (-$233 million, -8.8%), discretionary agriculture programs (-$209 million, -3%), discretionary nutrition assistance (-$127 million, -1.8%), foreign assistance programs (-$56 million, -2.9%), and conservation programs (-$45 million, -5.1%). The Food and Drug Administration and Commodity Futures Trading Commission each receive small increases in budget authority of about 1.5% to 2%. The appropriation increases the amount of limitations on mandatory farm bill programs by 27% to $1.2 billion, though rescissions from prior year appropriations were smaller by about half, at $445 million. But on August 2, 2011, the Budget Control Act of 2011 ( P.L. These limitations and rescissions, though greater than most years, were less in total than for FY2011. The net reduction in the amount of limitations and rescissions from $1.87 billion in FY2011 to $1.65 billion in FY2012 effectively increased the amount of cuts required to agency programs by about $220 million to achieve the FY2012 bill's reduction in total discretionary spending to $19.8 billion. 2112 . The House version of H.R. P.L. 112-25 ). 112-55 . The House-passed version of H.R. 2112 as passed by the Senate, and the conference agreement P.L. 112-55 , signed by the President on November 18, 2011.
The Agriculture appropriations bill provides funding for all of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) except the Forest Service, plus the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and, in alternating years, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
The FY2012 Agriculture Appropriations Act (P.L. 112-55, H.R. 2112) was signed by the President on November 18, 2011, after passing both chambers by more than two-thirds majorities. It was the lead division of a three-bill "minibus" appropriation that also included Commerce-Justice-Science and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development appropriations. The minibus was the first FY2012 appropriation to be enacted, and it also included another short-term continuing resolution, through December 16, 2011, for the remaining nine appropriations bills. The Agriculture bill was the vehicle for the minibus since it was the only one of the three subcommittee bills in the minibus to have passed the House.
P.L. 112-55 provides $20.2 billion of discretionary budget authority, including $367 million of conservation-related disaster assistance that was not subject to the regular budgetary caps. After subtracting the disaster funding and adjusting for CFTC jurisdiction, the $19.8 billion of regular discretionary budget authority reflects a $372 million reduction from FY2011 levels (-1.8%). The bill also includes $116.8 billion of mandatory funding for nutrition assistance and farm supports, up +11% from FY2011 due to a 19% increase in nutrition assistance because of the economy.
The FY2012 Agriculture appropriation spreads its reductions in discretionary spending by trimming most agency budgets in the range of 3%-6%, although some programs have greater reductions. The act makes cuts to rural development programs (-$233 million, -8.8%), discretionary agriculture programs (-$209 million, -3%), discretionary nutrition assistance (-$127 million, -1.8%), foreign assistance programs (-$56 million, -2.9%), and conservation programs (-$45 million, -5.1%). The Food and Drug Administration and Commodity Futures Trading Commission each receive small increases in budget authority of about 1.5% to 2%.
The appropriation increases the amount of limitations on mandatory farm bill programs by 27% to $1.2 billion, though rescissions from prior-year appropriations were smaller by about half, at $445 million. These limitations and rescissions, though greater than most years, were less in total than for FY2011. Reliance on these provisions in FY2011 and relatively less use in FY2012 increased the amount of cuts required to agency programs by about $220 million to meet the bill's discretionary allocation.
The final appropriation is closer to the Senate-passed version from November 1, 2011, than the House-passed version from June 16, 2011. The Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25, August 2, 2011) set the discretionary limits that were used for the Senate bill and in the conference agreement. The Senate-passed version cut discretionary Agriculture appropriations to $19.8 billion, $2.7 billion more than the House bill in its discretionary total.
The House version of H.R. 2112, passed under the House's more austere budget resolution, would have cut discretionary Agriculture appropriations to $17.25 billion, a reduction of $2.7 billion from FY2011 levels (-14%), and following a 15% cut in FY2011. Much of the floor debate in the House related to funding reductions for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) feeding program (-11%), food safety (-10%), and international food aid (-31%); preventing USDA payments to Brazil in relation to the U.S. loss in the WTO cotton case; and programs promoting locally produced food (USDA's "know-your-farmer-know-your-food" initiative).