Trump’s 2019 Budget Expected To Have Direct Impact on Ag

President Trump’s fiscal 2019 budget request to Congress,could have even less impact on lawmakers’ spending decisions than last year’s request, now that a massive two-year budget deal is on the books.  The President proposed $5 billion, or 21%, in discretionary cuts to USDA’s 2018 budget, in everything from food safety and rural development to conservation, research, and foreign food aid.  It was the third-biggest agency cut proposed but went nowhere.

The FY 2019 request comes on the heels of President Trump’s 2-year spending deal with Congress, signed late last week, that lifts budget caps and adds close to 400-billion in new spending.  American Farm Bureau’s R.J. Karney on the possible ‘disconnect’ if Trump proposes new cuts.

“We know what the law is for the next two years in terms of funding, in regards to the President’s budget and to the House and Senate budget.  Those documents are never signed into law.  Those are more guidance and priorities listing out sort of the direction the administration or a specific chamber of Congress would like to see a budget go.”

The two-year budget includes key fixes for dairy protection and cotton Title-one coverage, new disaster aid, and tax break extensions.  It’s expected to ease the path forward for a new farm bill.

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