	Status of FY2019 Agriculture Appropriations

Congress passed and the President signed the FY2019 Consolidated Appropriations Act on February 15, 2019 ( P.L. 116-6 , H.Rept. 116-9 ). This action, more than four months into the fiscal year, followed three continuing resolutions (CRs) and a 34-day partial government shutdown ( Table 1 ). The official discretionary total of the enacted FY2019 Agriculture appropriation is $23.03 billion, $35 million more than was enacted in FY2018 (+0.2%; Table 2 ) on a comparable basis that excludes the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The appropriation also carries mandatory spending—though that is largely determined in separate authorizing laws—that totals nearly $129 billion. It also funds the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and, in even-numbered fiscal years, 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 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; animal and plant health programs; and salaries and expenses for the conservation programs ( Figure 2 ). 265 , a stand-alone Agriculture appropriations bill. On that same comparable basis, the enacted total is $6.3 billion more than the Administration requested (+38%), $55 million more than was proposed in the House-reported bill (+0.2%) but $194 million less than in the Senate-passed bill (-0.8%). The primary changes that account for the overall $35 million discretionary increase in the FY2019 Consolidated Appropriations Act are the following: 
Increase in the four agricultural research agencies in Title I by $387 million (+13%) to $3.4 billion, mostly by increasing ARS building and facilities by $241 million, ARS salaries and expenses by $100 million, and NIFA by $64 million. Increase in WIC funding by a net $200 million, accounting for changes in rescissions of carryover balances and in the base appropriation. Also, appropriations for nutrition program administration is increased by $11 million. Decrease in the effective amount for rural development by essentially maintaining its base appropriation in Title III (+0.4%, +$11 million) and reducing extra appropriations that were made in the FY2018 general provisions (Title VII) for water and wastewater programs (-$425 million) and rural broadband (-$475 million). The annual change was mostly due to higher costs for crop insurance (+$6.5 billion), greater reimbursement for the CCC (+1.1 billion), and lower outlays for child nutrition (-$1.1 billion) and SNAP (-$0.5 billion). Budget Sequestration
Sequestration is a process to reduce federal spending through automatic, largely across-the-board reductions that permanently cancel mandatory and/or discretionary budget authority.
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. The largest discretionary spending items are 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; animal and plant health programs; and salaries and expenses for administering conservation programs.
On February 15, 2019, Congress passed and the President signed the FY2019 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-6, H.Rept. 116-9). This action, more than four months into the fiscal year, followed three continuing resolutions and a 34-day partial government shutdown.
The official discretionary total of the enacted FY2019 Agriculture appropriation is $23.03 billion, which is $35 million more than enacted in FY2018 (+0.2%) on a comparable basis that excludes the CFTC. The enacted total is $6.3 billion more than the Administration requested (+38%), $55 million more than was proposed in the House-reported bill (+0.2%), but $194 million less than in the Senate-passed bill (-0.8%).
Among the primary differences that account for the overall $35 million discretionary increase for FY2019 over FY2018 are an increase in agricultural research (mostly for construction) by $387 million (+13%) to $3.4 billion, an increase in FDA appropriations by $269 million (+10%) to $3.1 billion, an increase in WIC funding by a net $200 million (accounting for changes in the amount of carryover balances rescinded and in the base appropriation), an increase in five other program areas by a combined $78 million, and a decrease in rural development by reducing extra appropriations that were made in FY2018 for water and wastewater programs (-$425 million) and rural broadband (-$475 million).
The appropriation also carries $129 billion of mandatory spending that is largely determined in separate authorizing laws. The mandatory spending increased by $6 billion not because of congressional action this year but because of changing economic and program conditions. The annual change was mostly due to higher costs for crop insurance (+$6.5 billion), greater reimbursement for the Commodity Credit Corporation (+1.1 billion), and lower outlays for child nutrition (-$1.1 billion) and SNAP (-$0.5 billion). With mandatory and discretionary spending appropriations combined, the FY2019 agriculture total is nearly $152 billion.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act and its underlying bills also contain policy provisions that affect how the appropriation is delivered. These provisions affect disaster programs, rural definitions, industrial hemp, animal regulations, nutrition programs, dietary guidelines, CFTC, and tobacco products.
Sequestration on mandatory accounts—a process that reduces federal spending through automatic across-the-board reductions—also continues to affect agriculture spending.