Approps bill would fund WIC, unclear on meat inspectors
March 12, 2013 | 12:03 AM
All pregnant women and their children who apply for the special nutrition program for women, infants and children known as WIC would get benefits through September 30 under a Senate bill released Monday night.
It is unclear whether there would be enough money in the Food Safety and Inspection Service budget to avoid furloughs for meat inspectors.
The Senate Appropriations Committee late Monday evening released highlights of the bill that would provide for funding of the federal government through September 30. The bill continues funding for many divisions of the government but contains separate divisions for Agriculture; Commerce, Justice and Science; Defense; Homeland Security; and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Acts.
The bill, co-auathored by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and ranking member Richard Shelby, R-Ala., provides $1.043 trillion in budget authority, consistent with the Budget Control Act of 2011.
To become law, the Senate bill would have to be combined with a bill the House has already passed. Mikulski and Shelby appear to have worked with their House counterparts to produce a bill that can be passed to avoid a government shutdown when the current continuing resolution expires on March 27.
Mikulski and Shelby issued the news release jointly and signalled that they had worked together and with the House to write a bill that can be passed.
“We must prevent a government shutdown,” said Mikulski. “My vice chairman, Sen. Shelby, and I worked together on this bipartisan agreement that avoids a shutdown, complies with the Budget Control Act, improves the House CR for many critical priorities, and lets us wrap up fiscal year 2013 so we can get to next year’s budget and find a balanced solution to sequester.”
“Chairwoman Mikulski and I began this process with three shared goals,” Shelby said. “First, to prevent a government shutdown; second, to provide as much flexibility as possible for the remainder of this fiscal year; and third, to produce a bill that both parties in both houses can support.”
“I believe that we have achieved all three goals,” Shelby said. “At a time when many doubt whether Congress can accomplish anything at all, this agreement is a very clear demonstration of our commitment to work together.”
The statement noted that the bill provides $6.869 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and said, “This amount will fully fund participation.”
But there was no statement about the furlough of meat inspectors. The Hill reported Monday night that Mikulski had been forced to abandon a plan to grant the Obama administration new “enhanced reprogramming” authority to give Cabinet heads more leeway in managing the automatic cuts under sequestration.
Republican senators have complained that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack should have found a way to avoid the furloughs for meat inspectors since that will mean that meat plants will have to close while the inspectors are off the job.
But Vilsack told Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, that he has no choice about the furloughs, and made the same statement Monday to USA Today.
“The focus has been on can’t we avoid this when Congress knows full well that they structured this sequester in a way that provides no flexibility,” Vilsack said in an interview with Gannett Washington Bureau.
“I have to do what I have to do because the law is what it is today. If they want to change the law, great. If they want to provide more money, great.”
Fiscal Year 2012: $19.565 billion (does not include $367 million in disaster funding)
Fiscal Year 2013: $20.532 billion
Overall discretionary spending for the Agriculture Subcommittee for fiscal year 2013 totals $20.532 billion.
This amount includes an across the board cut of 2.513 percent for non-security programs and an across the board cut of 0.092 percent for security programs under the jurisdiction of the Agriculture Subcommittee.
It is unclear whether there would be enough money in the Food Safety and Inspection Service budget to avoid furloughs for meat inspectors.
The Senate Appropriations Committee late Monday evening released highlights of the bill that would provide for funding of the federal government through September 30. The bill continues funding for many divisions of the government but contains separate divisions for Agriculture; Commerce, Justice and Science; Defense; Homeland Security; and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Acts.
The bill, co-auathored by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and ranking member Richard Shelby, R-Ala., provides $1.043 trillion in budget authority, consistent with the Budget Control Act of 2011.
To become law, the Senate bill would have to be combined with a bill the House has already passed. Mikulski and Shelby appear to have worked with their House counterparts to produce a bill that can be passed to avoid a government shutdown when the current continuing resolution expires on March 27.
Mikulski and Shelby issued the news release jointly and signalled that they had worked together and with the House to write a bill that can be passed.
“We must prevent a government shutdown,” said Mikulski. “My vice chairman, Sen. Shelby, and I worked together on this bipartisan agreement that avoids a shutdown, complies with the Budget Control Act, improves the House CR for many critical priorities, and lets us wrap up fiscal year 2013 so we can get to next year’s budget and find a balanced solution to sequester.”
“Chairwoman Mikulski and I began this process with three shared goals,” Shelby said. “First, to prevent a government shutdown; second, to provide as much flexibility as possible for the remainder of this fiscal year; and third, to produce a bill that both parties in both houses can support.”
“I believe that we have achieved all three goals,” Shelby said. “At a time when many doubt whether Congress can accomplish anything at all, this agreement is a very clear demonstration of our commitment to work together.”
The statement noted that the bill provides $6.869 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and said, “This amount will fully fund participation.”
But there was no statement about the furlough of meat inspectors. The Hill reported Monday night that Mikulski had been forced to abandon a plan to grant the Obama administration new “enhanced reprogramming” authority to give Cabinet heads more leeway in managing the automatic cuts under sequestration.
Republican senators have complained that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack should have found a way to avoid the furloughs for meat inspectors since that will mean that meat plants will have to close while the inspectors are off the job.
But Vilsack told Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, that he has no choice about the furloughs, and made the same statement Monday to USA Today.
“The focus has been on can’t we avoid this when Congress knows full well that they structured this sequester in a way that provides no flexibility,” Vilsack said in an interview with Gannett Washington Bureau.
“I have to do what I have to do because the law is what it is today. If they want to change the law, great. If they want to provide more money, great.”
- Summary of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013
- Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013
- Vilsack letter to Sen. Grassley
- USDA chief slams Congress for impact of cuts
SENATE BILL FUNDING — Fiscal Year 2013Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies
Fiscal Year 2012: $19.565 billion (does not include $367 million in disaster funding)
Fiscal Year 2013: $20.532 billion
Overall discretionary spending for the Agriculture Subcommittee for fiscal year 2013 totals $20.532 billion.
This amount includes an across the board cut of 2.513 percent for non-security programs and an across the board cut of 0.092 percent for security programs under the jurisdiction of the Agriculture Subcommittee.
Summaries of funding decisions:
- Food and Drug Administration: Provides $2.51 billion, including an increase for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act. This funding level takes into consideration the federal government’s responsibilities to protect public health and safety, especially in the areas of food, drugs, medical devices and biologics.
- Domestic Nutrition: Provides $6.869 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). This amount will fully fund participation.
- Foreign Food Assistance: Provides $1.435 billion for PL 480 Title II. The McGovern-Dole Program, which provides school meals to the world’s poorest children, is funded at $184 million.
- Research: Provides $1.205 billion for the National Institute on Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and $1.074 billion for the Agricultural Research Service. Specifically within NIFA, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative is funded at $290 million.
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: Provides $801 million for programs to protect the health and value of American agriculture and natural resources. This represents an increase of $39 million over the Administration’s request.
- Conservation: Provides $824 million for activities for the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
- Rural Development: Provides $2.219 billion in budget authority for Rural Development, which maintains many loans and grants essential to small and remote rural communities. The water and waste water loan and grant program exceeds $1.5 billion, and $2.2 billion in loans is provided for essential community facilities.
