Congress passed the FY2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act on March 23, 2018 ( P.L. 115-141 ). FY2019 began with seven appropriations bills, including USDA, unfinished. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees reported Agriculture appropriations bills for FY2019 ( H.R. 5961 , S. 2976 ), with the Senate having amended and passed its version as Division C of a four-bill minibus ( H.R. 6147 ). Congress and the President approved continuing resolutions to fund the affected federal agencies through December 21, 2018, at the FY2018 level ( P.L. 115-245 and P.L. After December 21, 2018, a partial shutdown of the government, including many agencies within USDA, occurred. One of the few exceptions was the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which was able to operate on mandatory and carryover funds during the majority of the shutdown. On January 25, 2019, an agreement was reached to continue funding for USDA and other appropriations that had lapsed through February 15, at the FY2018 level ( P.L. 116-5 ). The FY2019 Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law on February 15, 2019, funding USDA through the end of the fiscal year (Division B, P.L. 116-6 ). Most conservation program funding is mandatory, obtained through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and authorized in omnibus farm bills (about $5.3 billion of CCC funds for conservation in FY2018). Other conservation programs—mostly technical assistance—are discretionary spending and are funded through annual appropriations (about $1 billion annually). For the first time since FY2002, the FY2018 Agriculture appropriations act did not include reductions to mandatory conservation programs. Similarly, the FY2019 appropriations act did not include reductions to mandatory conservation programs; however, the enacted 2018 farm bill (Agriculture Improvement Act, P.L. 115-334 ) reauthorized and amended funding for many of the mandatory conservation programs. The FY2018 appropriations act included a slight increase from FY2017 levels for discretionary conservation programs. The largest program and the account that funds most NRCS activities is Conservation Operations (CO). The enacted FY2018 appropriation provided $874 million—more than the FY2017 enacted amount ($864 million). The enacted FY2019 appropriation decreases funding for CO below FY2018 levels to $819 million and redirects funding to the new Farm Production and Conservation Business Center. Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations

The enacted FY2018 and FY2019 appropriations also contain funding for watershed activities, including $150 million annually for Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO)—a program that assists state and local organizations with planning and installing measures to prevent erosion, sedimentation, and flood damage. Mandatory Conservation Programs

Mandatory conservation programs are generally authorized in omnibus farm bills and receive funding from the CCC and thus do not require an annual appropriation. In the past, Congress has used annual agriculture appropriations acts to reduce mandatory conservation programs through changes in mandatory program spending (CHIMPS) every year from FY2003 to FY2017. The FY2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act marked the first appropriation since FY2002 that did not include CHIMPS to conservation programs. 113-79 ) expired on September 30, 2018. While this practice is infrequent and subject to various procedural rules and limitations, the Agriculture appropriations bill may serve as a vehicle for amendments to authorized programs that permanently alter or create programs. In some cases, the 2018 farm bill further amended the conservation programs that were amended in the FY2018 appropriations act. by increasing the size thresholds required for congressional approval under the program. Under the amended language, approval by the Senate and House Agriculture Committees is required for individual projects that need an estimated federal contribution of more than $25 million for construction, an increase from the previous $5 million threshold. This designation triggered the use of a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and System for Award Management (SAM) registration. Policy-Related Provisions

In addition to setting budgetary amounts, the Agriculture appropriations bill may also include policy-related provisions that direct how the executive branch should carry out an appropriation.
The Agriculture appropriations bill funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) except for the Forest Service. The FY2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 115-141, Division A), and the FY2019 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-6, Division B) include funding for conservation programs and activities at USDA.
Congress passed the FY2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act on March 23, 2018. FY2019 began with seven appropriations bills, including USDA, unfinished. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees reported Agriculture appropriations bills for FY2019 (H.R. 5961, S. 2976), with the Senate having amended and passed its version as Division C of a four-bill minibus (H.R. 6147). Congress and the President approved continuing resolutions to fund the affected federal agencies through December 21, 2018, at the FY2018 level (P.L. 115-245). After December 21, 2018, a partial shutdown of the government, including many agencies within USDA, occurred. One of the few exceptions was the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which was able to operate on mandatory and carryover funds during the majority of the shutdown. On January 25, 2019, an agreement was reached to continue funding for USDA and other appropriations that had lapsed through February 15, at the FY2018 level (P.L. 116-5). The FY2019 Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law on February 15, 2019, funding USDA through the end of the fiscal year (Division B, P.L. 116-6).
Agricultural conservation programs include both mandatory and discretionary spending. Most conservation program funding is mandatory and is authorized in omnibus farm bills. Other conservation programs—mostly technical assistance—are discretionary and are funded through annual appropriations.
The largest discretionary program is the Conservation Operations (CO) account, which funds conservation planning and implementation assistance on private agricultural lands across the country. The enacted FY2018 appropriation provided $874 million for CO, an increase from the FY2017 enacted amount ($864 million). The enacted FY2019 appropriation decreases funding for CO below FY2018 levels to $819 million and redirects funding to the new Farm Production and Conservation Business Center. Other discretionary spending is primarily for watershed programs. The largest—Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO)—was funded at $150 million annually in FY2018 and FY2019.
Most mandatory conservation programs are authorized in omnibus farm bills and do not require an annual appropriation. However, Congress has reduced mandatory conservation programs through changes in mandatory program spending (CHIMPS) in the annual agricultural appropriations law every year since FY2003. The enacted FY2018 omnibus marks the first appropriation since FY2002 that did not include CHIMPS to mandatory conservation programs. The enacted FY2019 appropriation also does not include reductions to mandatory conservation programs, as most programs' authorizations expired on September 30, 2018, making these programs ineligible for reduction. The 2018 farm bill (Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, P.L. 115-334) reauthorized and amended funding for many of the mandatory conservation programs.
While this is infrequent, the Agriculture appropriations bill may also serve as a vehicle for amendments to authorized programs that permanently alter or create programs. The FY2018 Agriculture appropriations act included two such amendments—one to WFPO and one to farm bill conservation program reporting requirements. The WFPO amendment increased the size threshold required for congressional approval. Under the amended language, the Senate and House Agriculture Committees must approve WFPO projects that include an estimated federal contribution of more than $25 million for construction, an increase from the previous $5 million threshold. Additionally, the FY2018 appropriations act exempted farm bill conservation programs from select federal reporting requirements, including obtaining a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and System for Award Management (SAM) registration.
Agriculture appropriations bills may also include policy-related provisions that direct how the executive branch should carry out the appropriation. The FY2018 and FY2019 appropriations acts both include policy provisions for conservation programs that range from reports to Congress to suggested natural resource priorities.