Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2018
Appropriations
Jim Monke
Specialist in Agricultural Policy
March 14, 2018
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R45128

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Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2018 Appropriations

Summary
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, since mandatory amounts
are generally set by authorizing laws such as the farm bill.
The largest discretionary spending items are the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); agricultural research; FDA; rural development; foreign
food aid and trade; farm assistance programs; food safety inspection; conservation; and animal
and plant health programs. The main mandatory spending items are the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP), child nutrition, crop insurance, and the farm commodity and
conservation programs paid by the Commodity Credit Corporation.
For FY2018, both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees reported Agriculture
appropriations bills in July 2017 (H.R. 3268, S. 1603). As the beginning of the fiscal year
approached, the House passed a consolidated bill in September 2017 that included an agriculture
appropriation (Division B of H.R. 3354). The full Senate did not consider an agriculture
appropriations bill on the floor. Thus, FY2018 appropriations are still pending and are currently
provided through continuing resolutions (CRs).
The discretionary total of the House-passed Agriculture appropriations bill is nearly $20 billion,
which is $1.13 billion less than enacted in FY2017 (-5.3%). Compared to FY2017, the House-
passed bill would reduce rural development by $262 million, nutrition assistance by $220 million,
farm and conservation programs by $199 million, department administration by $123 million, and
agricultural research by $98 million, among other changes.
The discretionary total of the Senate-reported bill is $20.53 billion, which is $352 million less
than enacted in FY2017 (-1.7%). The Senate-reported bill would make fewer and smaller
reductions compared to FY2017 than the House-passed bill would and overall would provide
$776 million more than would the House-passed bill. Compared to FY2017, it would reduce rural
development by $119 million and agricultural research by $57 million and increase foreign food
aid by $140 million, providing a larger sum for each than the House-passed bill would.
The Agriculture appropriations bills also carry mandatory spending that would total nearly $125
billion, bringing the overall total of each of the two proposed bills to about $145 billion.
Congress has passed CRs that fund the government through March 23, 2018. The latest CR, the
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-123), also enacted supplemental appropriations that
included agricultural assistance, amended certain farm bill statutes, and passed new, higher
budget caps that may facilitate a final appropriation.
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Contents
Status of FY2018 Agriculture Appropriations ................................................................................. 1
Scope of Agriculture Appropriations ............................................................................................... 3
Recent Trends in Agriculture Appropriations .................................................................................. 5
Action on FY2018 Appropriations .................................................................................................. 7
Administration’s Budget Request.............................................................................................. 7
House Action ............................................................................................................................. 7
Senate Action ............................................................................................................................ 8
Continuing Resolutions ............................................................................................................. 9
Supplemental Appropriation and the Bipartisan Budget Act .................................................. 10
Supplemental Appropriation ............................................................................................. 10
Changes to the Farm Bill .................................................................................................. 10
Discretionary Budget Caps ............................................................................................... 10

Figures
Figure 1. Timeline of Action on Agriculture Appropriations, FY1998-FY2018 ............................. 3
Figure 2. Scope of Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriations ............................................ 4
Figure 3. Discretionary Agriculture Appropriations, by Title, Since FY2008 ................................. 6
Figure 4. Inflation-Adjusted Discretionary Agriculture Appropriations Since FY2008 ................. 6

Tables
Table 1. Legislative Status of FY2018 Agriculture Appropriations ................................................ 1
Table 2. Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriations, by Title, FY2017-FY2018 ................. 2
Table 3. Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriations, by Agency, FY2015-FY2018 ........... 11

Table A-1. Sequestration from Discretionary and Mandatory Agriculture Appropriations ........... 18
Table A-2. Sequestration of Mandatory Accounts in Agriculture Appropriations ......................... 19
Table B-1. Congressional Action on Agriculture Appropriations Since FY1997 .......................... 21

Appendixes
Appendix A. Budget Sequestration ............................................................................................... 17
Appendix B. Action on Agriculture Appropriations ...................................................................... 21

Contacts
Author Contact Information .......................................................................................................... 22
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Status of FY2018 Agriculture Appropriations
Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have reported Agriculture appropriations
bills for FY2018 (H.R. 3268, S. 1603). The House also passed a consolidated bill that includes
agriculture (H.R. 3354). The full Senate did not consider the bill on the floor. Thus, FY2018
appropriations are still pending and are currently provided under continuing resolution (CR).
New, higher budget caps in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-123) are expected to
facilitate a final appropriation.
Specifically, the House Appropriations Committee passed H.R. 3268 on July 12, 2017, and the
Senate Appropriations Committee passed S. 1603 on July 20, 2017. On September 14, the House
passed an eight-bill consolidated appropriation, H.R. 3354, with the Agriculture bill as Division B
that included amendments to the House-reported version (Table 1, Figure 1, Appendix B).
The discretionary total of the House-passed bill is nearly $20 billion, which is $1.13 billion less
than enacted in FY2017 (-5.3%), on a comparable basis that includes the Commodity Futures
Trading Commission (CFTC; Table 2).1 The discretionary total of the Senate-reported bill is
$20.53 billion, which is $352 million less than enacted in FY2017 (-1.7%). The Senate-reported
bill would provide about $776 million more than the House-passed bill.
The appropriations also carry mandatory spending—though that is largely determined in separate
authorizing laws—that would total nearly $125 billion. Thus, the overall total of each of the
proposed bills is about $145 billion.
The Trump Administration released its full FY2018 budget request on May 23, 2017,2 along with
the detailed justification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).3 The Administration
had requested $15.82 billion of discretionary Agriculture appropriations (including CFTC), which
would have been a reduction of $5.3 billion from FY2017 (-25%).4
Table 1. Legislative Status of FY2018 Agriculture Appropriations
House Action
Senate Action
Final Appropriation
Subcmte.
Cmte.
Floor
Subcmte.
Cmte.
Floor
Enacted
Public Law
6/28/2017
7/12/2017
9/14/2017
7/18/2017
7/20/2017
—
—
—
—
Draft
H.R. 3268
H.R. 3354
Voice vote
S. 1603
Voice vote
H.Rept.
(Division B)
S.Rept.
115-232
Vote of
115-131
Voice vote
211-198
Vote of 31-
0
Source: CRS, compiled from the Legislative Information System.

1 Jurisdiction for CFTC appropriations differs between the chambers. Since FY2008, CFTC is marked up in the
Agriculture Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee and in the Financial Services and General
Government Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The enacted CFTC appropriation is carried in the
Agriculture bill in even-numbered fiscal years and in the Financial Services bill in odd-numbered fiscal years.
2 Office of Management and Budget (OMB), FY2018 Budget of the U.S. Government, especially in the Appendix,
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Appendix.
3 USDA, FY2018 USDA Budget Summary; and USDA, 2018 Explanatory Notes, http://www.obpa.usda.gov.
4 See CRS Insight IN10710, The President’s FY2018 Budget Request for Agriculture Appropriations and the Farm Bill.
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Table 2. Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriations, by Title, FY2017-FY2018
(budget authority in millions of dollars)

FY2017
FY2018
Change FY17 to FY18
P.L. 115-
Admin.
House
S. Cmte.
House-
Senate-
Title of Agriculture Appropriations Act
31
Request
H.R. 3354
S. 1603
Enacted
passed
reported
I. Agricultural Programs: Discretionarya
7,107.7a
4,861.2
5,141.2
5,363.1
—
-267.5b
-45.7b
Mandatory (Section 32 in FY2018)a
31,280.2a
1,344.0
1,344.0
1,344.0
—
+22.0b
+22.0b
Subtotala
38,387.9a
6,205.2
6,485.2
6,707.1
—
-245.5b
-23.7b
II. Farm Production and Conservation Programsa
1,027.4a
2,330.2
2,527.8
2,726.4
—
-198.5b
+0.1b
Mandatory (CCC, crop insurance in FY2018)a
—a
25,728.5
25,728.5
25,728.5
—
-4,229.7b
-4,229.7b
Subtotala
—a
28,058.7
28,256.3
28,454.9
—
-4,428.2b
-4,229.6b
III. Rural Development
3,069.2
2,157.5
2,807.1
2,949.8
—
-262.0
-119.4
IV. Domestic Food Programs: Discretionary
6,884.7
6,615.9
6,664.5
6,887.9
—
-220.2
+3.2
Mandatory (SNAP and child nutrition)
101,226.7
97,845.8
97,842.9
97,842.9
—
-3,383.8
-3,383.8
Subtotal
108,111.3
104,461.7
104,507.4
104,730.8
—
-3,604.0
-3,380.5
V. Foreign Assistance
1,872.9c
195.1
1,804.7
2,013.7
—
-68.2
+140.8
VI. Related Agencies: Food and Drug Admin.
2,771.2
1,828.5
2,768.1
2,772.2
—
-3.0
+1.0
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
[250.0]
250.0
248.0
[250.0]d
—
-2.0
+0.0
VII. General Provisions: CHIMPSe & rescissions
-1,598.0
-1,931.7
-1,490.0
-1,741.0
—
+108.0
-143.0
Disaster/emergency programs
234.8f
—
—
—
—
-234.8
-234.8
Other appropriations
237.4
0.0
6.5
35.1
—
-230.9
-202.3
Scorekeeping adjustmentsg
-524.0
-485.0
-481.0
-482.0
—
+43.0
+42.0
Subtract disaster declaration in this bil
-206.1
—
—
—
—
+206.1
+206.1
Discretionary: Senate basis w/o CFTC
20,877.0
15,571.6
[19,748.9]
20,525.1
—
-1,128.1
-351.9
Discretionary: House basis w/ CFTC
[21,127.0]
15,821.6
19,996.9
[20,775.1]
—
-1,130.1
-351.9
Mandatory
132,506.9
124,918.3
124,915.4
124,915.4
—
-7,591.5
-7,591.5
Total: Senate basis w/o CFTC
153,383.9
140,489.9
144,664.3
145,440.5
—
-8,719.5
-7,943.4
Total: House basis w/ CFTC
153,633.9
140,739.9
144,912.3
145,690.5
—
-8,721.5
-7,943.4
Source: CRS, using appropriations text and reports, and unpublished CBO tables. Reflects H.R. 3354 as
amended from H.R. 3268.
Notes: Amounts are nominal discretionary budget authority in mil ions of dol ars unless labeled otherwise.
Bracketed amounts are not in the official totals due to differing House-Senate jurisdiction for CFTC.
a. Row headings reflect recent USDA reorganization. For FY2018, the Farm Service Agency and Risk
Management Agency were moved from Title I to Title II, as was Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)
and Federal Crop Insurance Corporation within mandatory spending.
b. Differences were computed using amounts for FY2017 that were adjusted to reflect the reorganization.
c. In addition, Food for Peace Title II grants received $134 mil ion under General Provisions in FY2017.
d. Senate Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee, chairman’s draft, in lieu of subcommittee markup.
e. Changes in Mandatory Program Spending (CHIMPS) are reductions made to mandatory programs.
f.
Includes $206 mil ion for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Watershed Program
in the second CR. Another $29 mil ion for ECP was in the final appropriation.
g. “Scorekeeping adjustments” are not necessarily appropriated but are part of the official CBO accounting.
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Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2018 Appropriations

Figure 1. Timeline of Action on Agriculture Appropriations, FY1998-FY2018

Source: CRS.
Scope of Agriculture Appropriations
The Agriculture appropriations bill—formally known as the Agriculture, Rural Development,
Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act—funds all of USDA,
excluding the U.S. Forest Service. It also funds the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the
Department of Health and Human Services. In even-numbered fiscal years, the act carries CFTC
funding under a practice started in FY2008 for handling House-Senate jurisdictional differences.
Jurisdiction is with the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations and their respective
Subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related
Agencies. The bill includes mandatory and discretionary spending, but the discretionary amounts
are the primary focus during the bill’s development. The scope of the bill is shown in Figure 2.
The federal budget process treats discretionary and mandatory spending differently.5
 Discretionary spending is controlled by annual appropriations acts and receives
most of the attention during the appropriations process. The annual budget
resolution6 process sets spending limits for discretionary appropriations. Agency
operations (salaries and expenses) and many grant programs are discretionary.

5 See CRS Report R44582, Overview of Funding Mechanisms in the Federal Budget Process, and Selected Examples.
6 See CRS Report R42388, The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction.
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 Mandatory spending7—though carried in the appropriation and usually
advanced unchanged—is controlled by budget rules (e.g., PAYGO) during the
authorization process.8 Spending for so-called entitlement programs is set in laws
such as the 2014 farm bill9 and 2010 child nutrition reauthorizations.10
In FY2017, the most recent enacted appropriation (P.L. 115-31), discretionary appropriations
were 14% ($20.9 billion) of the act. Mandatory spending carried in the Agriculture appropriation
comprised $133 billion, about 86% of the $153 billion total. About $110 billion of the $133
billion mandatory amount could be attributed to programs in the 2014 farm bill (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Scope of Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriations
(FY2017 budget authority in billions of dollars

Source: CRS. Does not show some agencies under $0.5 bil ion or reductions that offset appropriations.
Notes: SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; CCC = Commodity Credit Corporation; FCIC =
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation; Section 32 = Funds for Strengthening Markets, Income and Supply; WIC =
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; CSFP = Commodity Supplemental
Food Program; FDA = Food and Drug Administration; FSA = Farm Service Agency; RMA = Risk Management
Agency; FSIS = Food Safety and Inspection Service; APHIS = Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

7 Mandatory spending creates funding stability and consistency compared to appropriations. In agriculture, it was
originally reserved for the farm commodity programs that had uncertain outlays because of weather and market
conditions.
8 See CRS Report 98-560, Baselines and Scorekeeping in the Federal Budget Process.
9 P.L. 113-79. See CRS In Focus IF10783, Farm Bill Primer: Budget Issues.
10 P.L. 111-296. See CRS Report R44373, Tracking the Next Child Nutrition Reauthorization: An Overview.
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Within the discretionary total, the largest discretionary spending items are for the Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); rural development;
agricultural research; FDA; foreign food aid and trade; farm assistance program salaries and
loans; food safety inspection; conservation; and animal and plant health programs (Figure 2).
The main mandatory spending items are the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP,
and other food and nutrition act programs), child nutrition (school lunch and related programs),
crop insurance, and farm commodity and conservation programs paid through USDA’s
Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). SNAP is referred to as an “appropriated entitlement” and
requires an annual appropriation.11 Amounts for the nutrition program are based on projected
spending needs. In contrast, the CCC operates on a line of credit. The annual appropriation
provides funding to reimburse the Treasury for using this line of credit.
Key Budget Terms
Budget authority is the main purpose of an appropriations act or a law authorizing mandatory spending. It provides
the legal basis from which to obligate funds. It expires at the end of a period and is usually available for one year
unless specified otherwise (e.g., two years or indefinite). Most amounts in this report are budget authority.
Obligations are contractual agreements between an agency and its clients or employees. They occur when an
agency proceeds to spend money from its budget authority. The Antideficiency Act prohibits agencies from obligating
more budget authority than is provided in law, such as during a government shutdown.
Outlays are the payments (cash disbursements) that satisfy a valid obligation. Outlays may differ from budget
authority or obligations because payments from an agency may not occur until services are fulfil ed, goods are
delivered, or construction is completed, even though an obligation occurred.
Program level represents the sum of the activities supported or undertaken by an agency. A program level may be
higher than a budget authority if the program (1) receives user fees that can be used to pay for activities, (2) makes
or guarantees loans that are leveraged on the expectation of repayment (more than $1 of loan authority for $1 of
budget authority), or (3) receives transfers from other agencies.
Rescissions are adjustments that cancel or reduce budget authority after it has been enacted. They score budgetary
savings.
CHIMPS (Changes in Mandatory Program Spending) are adjustments in an appropriations act to mandatory budget
authority. CHIMPS in appropriations usually reduce or limit spending by mandatory programs for one year and score
budgetary savings. They do not change the underlying authority of the program in statute.
For more background, see CRS Report 98-405, The Spending Pipeline: Stages of Federal Spending.
Recent Trends in Agriculture Appropriations
Over time, changes by title of the Agriculture appropriations bill have generally been
proportionate to changes in the bill’s total discretionary limit, though some activities have
sustained relative increases and decreases. Agriculture appropriations peaked in FY2010, declined
through FY2013, and since then have increased (Figure 3). Comparisons to historical
benchmarks, though, may depend on adjustments for inflation and other factors (Figure 4).
The stacked bars in Figure 3 represent the discretionary spending that was authorized for each
appropriations title since FY2008. The total of the positive stacked bars is the budget authority
contained in Titles I-VI. It is higher than the official discretionary spending allocation for the
subcommittee (the line) because of the budgetary offset from negative amounts in Title VII
general provisions and other scorekeeping adjustments. General provisions are net negative
mostly because of rescissions and limits placed on mandatory programs.

11 See CRS Report RS20129, Entitlements and Appropriated Entitlements in the Federal Budget Process.
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Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2018 Appropriations

Figure 3. Discretionary Agriculture Appropriations, by Title, Since FY2008

Source: CRS. Includes CFTC in Related Agencies in all years for comparison, regardless of jurisdiction.
Figure 4. Inflation-Adjusted Discretionary Agriculture Appropriations Since FY2008

Source: CRS. Includes CFTC in Related Agencies in all years for comparison, regardless of jurisdiction.
Notes: Budget authority adjusted for inflation by CRS using the gross domestic product price deflator.
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Action on FY2018 Appropriations
Administration’s Budget Request
Like most new Administrations, the Trump Administration released its FY2018 budget request in
2017 later than the usually expected first week of February.12 It released an outline (sometimes
called a “skinny budget”13) on March 16, 2017, that expressed intentions primarily at the Cabinet
level. For USDA, it proposed a 21% reduction, including eliminating funding for some programs.
The Administration’s budget outline overlapped with Congress finishing FY2017 appropriations.
On May 5, 2017, the explanatory statement for the FY2017 appropriation (P.L. 115-31) addressed
the direction of the new request for FY2018 by reminding the Administration of Congress’s role:
USDA and FDA should be mindful of Congressional authority to determine and set final
funding levels for fiscal year 2018. Therefore, the agencies should not presuppose
program funding outcomes and prematurely initiate action to redirect staffing prior to
knowing final outcomes on fiscal year 2018 program funding.14
On May 23, 2017, the Administration released its full FY2018 budget request.15 USDA
concurrently released its full budget summary and justification,16 as did the FDA.17 Some OMB
proposals18 were not consistent with the USDA request. As an independent agency, CFTC
requested a different amount in its budget justification19 than the Administration requested.
For Agriculture appropriations (including CFTC), the Trump Administration requested $15.82
billion of discretionary spending, $5.3 billion less than in FY2017 (-25%; Table 2, Figure 3).
From these documents, the congressional appropriations committees evaluated the request and
began to consider their own bills in the summer of 2017.
CRS Products on the FY2018 Agriculture Request

CRS Insight IN10675, The President’s FY2018 Budget Outline for the U.S. Department of Agriculture

CRS Insight IN10710, The President’s FY2018 Budget Request for Agriculture Appropriations and the Farm Bill

CRS Insight IN10715, When an Agency’s Budget Request Does Not Match the President’s Request: The
FY2018 CFTC Request and “Budget Bypass”
House Action
At the time the House appropriations subcommittees began marking up their FY2018 bills, an
FY2018 budget resolution had not yet been adopted. Therefore, the House Appropriations
Committee incrementally made “302(b)” allocations20 to its subcommittees to facilitate markups

12 See CRS Report R42388, The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction.
13 The White House, America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again, March 16, 2017.
14 Congressional Record, May 3, 2017, p. H3328.
15 OMB, FY2018 Budget of the U.S. Government, Appendix.
16 USDA, FY2018 USDA Budget Summary; and USDA, 2018 Budget Explanatory Notes, http://www.obpa.usda.gov.
17 FDA, FY2018 FDA Justification of Estimates for Appropriations, https://www.hhs.gov/about/budget/index.html.
18 OMB, FY2018 Budget of the U.S. Government, Major Savings and Reforms.
19 CFTC, FY2018 CFTC Budget Request, http://www.cftc.gov/About/CFTCReports/ssLINK/cftcbudget2018.
20 Budget enforcement for appropriations has both procedural and statutory elements. The procedural elements are
(continued...)
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beginning in June 2017.21 The Agriculture Subcommittee was allowed nearly $20 billion of
discretionary budget authority for FY2018.
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY2018 bill on June 28,
2017, by voice vote.22 On July 12, 2017, the full Appropriations Committee passed and reported
an amended bill (H.R. 3268, H.Rept. 115-232) by voice vote (Table 1, Figure 1).
As the beginning of the fiscal year neared without many floor-passed appropriations bills, the
House passed on September 14, 2017, an eight-bill consolidated appropriation (H.R. 3354) with
the Agriculture bill as Division B. It included several budget-neutral amendments to the reported
version.
The $20 billion discretionary total in the House-passed FY2018 Agriculture appropriation (Table
2, Figure 3) is officially $1.13 billion less than enacted in FY2017 (-5.3%, on a comparable basis
that adds CFTC back to the FY2017 Agriculture appropriation’s total).
Compared to FY2017, the House-passed bill would achieve this reduction primarily by reducing
rural development by $262 million, nutrition assistance by $220 million, farm and conservation
programs by $199 million, department administration by $123 million, and agricultural research
by $98 million, among other changes. Table 3 provides details at the agency level.
Senate Action
In the absence of an adopted FY2018 budget resolution, the Senate Appropriations Committee
made 302(b) allocations to its subcommittees in July 2017, similar to the House approach.23 The
Agriculture Subcommittee was allowed $20.53 billion of discretionary authority for FY2018.
The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY2018 bill on July 18,
2017, by voice vote. Two days later, the full Appropriations Committee passed and reported its
amended bill (S. 1603, S.Rept. 115-131) on July 20, 2017, by a vote of 31-0 (Table 1, Figure 1).
The discretionary total of the Senate-reported bill is $20.53 billion (Table 2, Figure 3), which is
$352 million less than enacted in FY2017 without CFTC (-1.7%). The Senate-reported bill would
provide $776 million more than the House-passed bill on a comparable basis without the CFTC.
The Senate-reported bill would make fewer and smaller reductions compared to FY2017 than the
House-passed bill. Compared to FY2017, it would reduce rural development by $119 million and
agricultural research by $57 million and increase foreign food aid by $140 million, providing
more for each of these program areas than the House-passed bill (Table 3). It would also make
$220 million more in reductions—through rescissions and changing mandatory programs—than
the House-passed bill.

(...continued)
associated with the budget resolution and are enforced through points of order. The appropriations committees and
subcommittees receive procedural limits on budget authority, referred to as 302(a) and 302(b) allocations, respectively
(see CRS Report R42388, The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction). The statutory elements
impose limits on discretionary spending in FY2012-FY2021 and are enforced through discretionary budget caps and
sequestration (see CRS Report R42972, Sequestration as a Budget Enforcement Process: Frequently Asked Questions).
21 For example, for the limit for Agriculture appropriations, see House Appropriations Committee, “Revised Interim
Suballocation of Budget Allocations for FY2018,” https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/sbdv-3.pdf.
22 The House subcommittee draft is available at https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bills-115hr-sc-ap-
fy2018-agriculture-agriculture.pdf.
23 For example, see “FY2018 Funding Guidance” at https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/
072017%20FY2018%20Funding%20Guidance%20-%20Background.pdf .
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Continuing Resolutions
FY2018 began on October 1, 2017, without an enacted appropriation. As a result, Congress has
passed CRs to continue to fund the government.24 In general, a CR continues the funding rate and
other provisions of the previous year’s appropriation.25 However, the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) prorates funding to the agencies on an annualized basis for the duration of the CR
through a process known as apportionment.26 CRs may also provide a different amount through
anomalies or make specific administrative changes.27
1. The first CR for FY2018 (Division D of P.L. 115-56) lasted until December 8,
2017. It continued FY2017 funding levels and provisions with two general
exceptions and two anomalies for the agriculture appropriation:
 A 0.6791% across-the-board reduction (Section 101(b)).
 Sufficient funding to maintain mandatory program levels, including for
nutrition programs (Section 111).
 An increase of about $2 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food
Program, a domestic food assistance program that predominantly serves the
low-income elderly. Rather than the FY2017 funding level of $236 million,
the CR provides about $238 million for this program. This anomaly is
typically included to maintain caseload and participation based on food costs
(Section 116).
 A technical correction for the computation of a rescission to Section 32 funds
in light of the availability that is allowed for carryover funds, especially for
disaster payments that are at the discretion of the USDA (Section 117).
2. A second CR (P.L. 115-90) extended the provisions and anomalies of the first CR
to December 22, 2017.
3. A third CR (P.L. 115-96) extended the CR to January 19, 2018. It also waived
PAYGO rules (Section 5002) for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (P.L. 115-97) that
could have caused a sequestration of mandatory spending as an automatic
budgetary offset, which could have affected the farm bill budget.28
4. In the absence of a further CR or appropriation by January 19, a three-day
government shutdown occurred through January 22, when a fourth CR (P.L. 115-
120) extended the CR to February 8, 2018.
5. In the absence of a further CR or appropriation by February 8, an overnight
government shutdown occurred during the early morning of February 9, when a
fifth CR (P.L. 115-123) extended the CR to March 23, 2018. This CR was part of
the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 that raised the budget caps for discretionary
spending in FY2018 and FY2019, provided disaster assistance for agriculture,
amended several farm bill provisions, and extended sequestration effects.

24 CRS Report R42647, Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Recent Practices.
25 CRS Report RL34700, Interim Continuing Resolutions (CRs): Potential Impacts on Agency Operations.
26 For example, if a CR lasts for three months, OMB may apportion 3/12 of the previous fiscal year amount during the
CR to limit agency spending.
27 CRS Report R44978, Overview of Continuing Appropriations for FY2018 (P.L. 115-56).
28 CBO, “Effects of Legislation That Would Raise Deficits by an Estimated $1.5 Trillion over the 2018-2027 Period,”
letter to Steny Hoyer, November 14, 2017.
Congressional Research Service
9

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link to page 20 Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2018 Appropriations

Supplemental Appropriation and the Bipartisan Budget Act
On February 9, 2018, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA; P.L. 115-123),
which broadly authorized supplemental appropriations, including for crop and livestock losses
from 2017 hurricanes and wildfires (Division B, Subdivision 1, Title I). The act also included a
six-week CR through March 23, 2018 (Division B, Subdivision 3). Importantly for the upcoming
farm bill reauthorization, the act revised several agriculture programs, which has long-term policy
implications because it changed farm bill statutes (Division B, Section 20101; and Division F)
and added mandatory spending authority. Perhaps most importantly for completing the FY2018
appropriation, it raised the discretionary spending caps (Division C, Title I) that are in statute
from the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA; P.L. 112-25).
CRS Products on Agriculture in the Supplemental

CRS In Focus IF10829, Agriculture Funding in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018

CRS In Focus IF10833, Dairy Provisions in the Bipartisan Budget Act (P.L. 115-123)

CRS Insight IN10843, Supplemental Appropriations Proposed for Agriculture

CRS Insight IN10832, Proposed Offsets Exceed Spending for Agriculture in the Administration’s Disaster
Assistance Request
Supplemental Appropriation
In supplemental appropriations, the BBA added $3.6 billion of disaster assistance in FY2018.
Specifically, it provided $2.36 billion of block grants to the states for losses from 2017 hurricanes
and wildfires. It added $941 million for conservation and watershed recovery, $165 million for
rural water and wastewater recovery, and $89 million for disasters in six other USDA accounts.
Changes to the Farm Bill
For the expected successor to the current farm bill, the BBA added $1.4 billion of mandatory
funding to the 10-year baseline. Specifically, it added $1.1 billion for dairy programs, $240
million for permanent disaster assistance programs, and a $62 million net addition for cotton. The
cotton addition is nearly $3 billion from adding seed cotton to the farm commodity programs,
offset by about $2.9 billion in reductions from reallocating base acres and crop insurance. A
version of these changes was in the Senate appropriations markup, Section 728 of S. 1603.
The BBA offsets some of these additions by extending sequestration on mandatory accounts
under the BCA (Appendix A) for two more years, for FY2026 and FY2027, at an estimated
future effect on agriculture accounts of $2.6 billion.
Discretionary Budget Caps
Raising the budget caps for overall discretionary spending—that were set by the BCA—facilitates
the development of a final full-year appropriation for FY2018. A majority in Congress desired
greater spending for at least some of the appropriations subcommittees. For FY2018, it raises the
nondefense discretionary cap by $63 billion from $516 billion to $579 billion and for defense by
$80 billion from $549 billion to $629 billion. For FY2019, it raises the nondefense discretionary
cap by $68 billion and the defense cap by $85 billion.29

29 CRS Insight IN10861, Discretionary Spending Levels Under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.
Congressional Research Service
10

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link to page 18 link to page 19 link to page 18 link to page 19 link to page 18 link to page 18
Table 3. Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriations, by Agency, FY2015-FY2018
(budget authority in millions of dollars)
FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
FY2018
Change FY17 to FY18

P.L. 113-
P.L. 114-
P.L. 115-
Admin.
House
S. Cmte.
House-
Senate-
Agency or Major Program
235
113
31
Request
H.R. 3354
S. 1603
Enacted
passed
reported
Title I. Agricultural Programs









Departmental Administration
364.5
373.2
403.9
376.9
280.5
398.2
—
-123.4
-5.7
Research, Education and Economics









Agricultural Research Service
1,177.6
1,355.9
1,269.8
993.1
1,194.1
1,182.4
—
-75.7
-87.4
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
1,289.5
1,326.5
1,362.9
1,252.8
1,343.8
1,373.2
—
-19.1
+10.3
National Agricultural Statistics Service
172.4
168.4
171.2
185.7
178.2
191.7
—
+7.0
+20.5
Economic Research Service
85.4
85.4
86.8
76.7
76.8
86.8
—
-10.0
+0.0
Under Secretary
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.8
0.9
—
-0.1
+0.0
Marketing and Regulatory Programs









Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
874.5
897.6
949.4
812.9
907.8
956.4
—
-41.6
+7.0
Agricultural Marketing Service
82.4
82.5
86.2
78.6
76.7
90.2
—
-9.5
+4.0
Section 32 (M)
1,284.0
1,303.0
1,322.0
1,344.0
1,344.0
1,344.0
—
+22.0
+22.0
Grain Inspection, Packers, Stockyards Admin.
43.0
43.1
43.5
43.0
42.9
43.5
—
-0.6
+0.0
Under Secretary
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.8
0.9
—
-0.1
+0.0
Food Safety









Food Safety and Inspection Service
1,016.5
1,014.9
1,032.1
1,038.1
1,038.1
1,038.1
—
+6.0
+6.0
Under Secretary
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
—
-0.0
+0.0
Farm and Commodity Programsa









Farm Service Agencyb
1,603.3
1,595.1
1,624.0
moved to Title IIa
FSA Farm Loans: Loan Authorityc
6,402.1
6,402.1
8,002.6
moved to Title IIa
Risk Management Agency Salaries and Exp.
74.8
74.8
74.8
moved to Title IIa
CRS-11

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FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
FY2018
Change FY17 to FY18

P.L. 113-
P.L. 114-
P.L. 115-
Admin.
House
S. Cmte.
House-
Senate-
Agency or Major Program
235
113
31
Request
H.R. 3354
S. 1603
Enacted
passed
reported
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (M)
8,930.5
7,858.0
8,667.0
moved to Title IIa
Commodity Credit Corporation (M)
13,444.7
6,871.1
21,290.7
moved to Title IIa
Under Secretary
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.9
—
—
—
-0.9
-0.9
Subtotal









Discretionary
6,786.9
7,020.3
7,107.7
4,861.2
5,141.2
5,363.1

-267.5d
-45.7d
Mandatory (M; Section 32 in FY2018)
23,659.7
16,032.6
31,280.2
1,344.0
1,344.0
1,344.0

+22.0d
+22.0d
Subtotal
30,446.6
23,052.9
38,387.9
6,205.2
6,485.2
6,707.1

-245.5d
-23.7d
Title II. Farm Production and Conservationa









Farm Service Agencyb
moved from Title Ia
1,508.8
1,555.4
1,627.0
—
-68.1
+3.0
FSA Farm Loans: Loan Authorityc
moved from Title Ia
6,953.9
7,163.9
8,002.6
—
-838.7
+0.0
Risk Management Agency Salaries and Exp.
moved from Title Ia
55.0
55.0
74.8
—
-19.8
+0.0
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (M)
moved from Title Ia
8,245.0
8,245.0
8,245.0
—
-422.0
-422.0
Commodity Credit Corporation (M)
moved from Title Ia
17,483.0
17,483.0
17,483.0
—
-3,807.7
-3,807.7
Conservation Programs









Conservation Operations
846.4
850.9
864.5
766.0
864.5
874.1
—
+0.0
+9.6
Watershed and Flood Prevention
—
—
150.0
—
42.0
150.0
—
-108.0
+0.0
Watershed Rehabilitation Program
12.0
12.0
12.0
—
10.0
0.0
—
-2.0
-12.0
Under Secretary
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.9
—
-0.0
+0.0
Subtotal









Discretionary
859.3
863.8
1,027.4
2,330.2
2,527.8
2,726.4
—
-198.5d
+0.1d
Mandatory (M; CCC, crop insurance in FY2018)
moved from Title I Ia
25,728.5
25,728.5
25,728.5
—
-4,229.7d
-4,229.7d
Subtotal
moved from Title I Ia
28,058.7
28,256.3
28,454.9
—
-4,428.2d
-4,229.6d
CRS-12

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FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
FY2018
Change FY17 to FY18

P.L. 113-
P.L. 114-
P.L. 115-
Admin.
House
S. Cmte.
House-
Senate-
Agency or Major Program
235
113
31
Request
H.R. 3354
S. 1603
Enacted
passed
reported
Title III. Rural Development









Salaries and Expenses (including transfers)e
678.2
682.9
675.8
624.0
656.6
675.8
—
-19.2
+0.0
Rural Housing Service
1,298.4
1,616.4
1,654.9
1,365.3
1,465.7
1,565.1
—
-189.2
-89.8
RHS Loan Authorityc
27,421.5
27,496.8
28,083.4
27,260.0
27,965.7
28,483.4
—
-117.7
+400.0
Rural Business-Cooperative Servicef
103.2
90.5
97.7
—
83.6
95.5
—
-14.1
-2.2
RBCS Loan Authorityc
984.5
979.3
988.4
—
877.1
988.4
—
-111.3
+0.0
Rural Utilities Service
501.7
559.3
639.9
5.4
478.6
612.4
—
-161.3
-27.5
RUS Loan Authorityc
7,464.1
8,210.6
8,217.0
6,217.0
8,217.0
8,217.0
—
-0.1
+0.0
Rural Economic Infrastructure Grants
—
—
—
161.9
122.7
—
—
+122.7
+0.0
Under Secretary
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.9
—
0.9
—
-0.9
+0.0
Subtotal, Discretionary
2,582.4
2,950.0
3,069.2
2,157.5
2,807.1
2,949.8
—
-262.0
-119.4
Subtotal, RD Loan Authorityc
35,870.1
36,686.7
37,288.9
33,477.0
37,059.8
37,688.9
—
-229.1
+400.0
Title IV. Domestic Food Programs









Child Nutrition Programs (M)
21,300.2
22,149.7
22,794.0
24,256.3
24,280.9
24,296.5
—
+1,487.0
+1,502.5
WIC Program
6,623.0
6,350.0
6,350.0
6,150.0
6,150.0
6,350.0
—
-200.0
+0.0
SNAP, Food and Nutrition Act Programs (M)
81,837.6
80,849.4
78,480.7
73,612.5
73,610.0
73,612.5
—
-4,870.7
-4,868.2
Commodity Assistance Programs
278.5
296.2
315.1
293.6
317.1
317.1
—
+2.0
+2.0
Nutrition Programs Administration
150.8
150.8
170.7
148.5
148.5
153.8
—
-22.2
-16.9
Under Secretary
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
—
-0.0
+0.0
Subtotal









Discretionary
7,094.1
6,838.9
6,884.7
6,615.9
6,664.5
6,887.9
—
-220.2
+3.2
Mandatory (M)
103,096.7
102,958.1
101,226.7
97,845.8
97,842.9
97,842.9
—
-3,383.8
-3,383.8
Subtotal
110,190.9
109,797.0
108,111.3
104,461.7
104,507.4
104,730.8
—
-3,604.0
-3,380.5
CRS-13

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FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
FY2018
Change FY17 to FY18

P.L. 113-
P.L. 114-
P.L. 115-
Admin.
House
S. Cmte.
House-
Senate-
Agency or Major Program
235
113
31
Request
H.R. 3354
S. 1603
Enacted
passed
reported
Title V. Foreign Assistance









Foreign Agricultural Service
181.4
191.6
196.6
188.2
195.3
197.5
—
-1.3
+0.9
Food for Peace Title II, and admin. expenses
1,468.5
1,468.5g
1,466.1g
0.1
1,400.1
1,600.1
—
-66.0
+134.0
McGovern-Dole Food for Education
191.6
201.6
201.6
0.0
201.6
206.6
—
+0.0
+5.0
CCC Export Loan Salaries
6.7
6.7
8.5
6.7
6.7
8.5
—
-1.8
+0.0
Under Secretary
—
—
—
—
0.9
0.9
—
+0.9
+0.9
Subtotal
1,848.3
1,868.5
1,872.9
195.1
1,804.7
2,013.7
—
-68.2
+140.8
Title VI. Related Agencies









Food and Drug Administration
2,597.3
2,729.6
2,771.2
1,828.5
2,768.1
2,772.2
—
-3.0
+1.0
Commodity Futures Trading Commissionh
[250.0]
250.0
[250.0]
250.0
248.0
[250.0]i
—
-2.0
+0..0
Subtotal
2,597.3
2,979.6
[3,021.2]
2,078.5
3,016.1
[3,022.2]
—
-5.0
+1.0
Title VII. General Provisions









Reductions in Mandatory Programsj









a. Environmental Quality Incentives Program
-136.0
-209.0
-179.0
-209.0
—
-179.0
—
+179.0
+0.0
b. Watershed Rehabilitation Program
-69.0
-68.0
-54.0
-55.0
-55.0
-55.0
—
-1.0
-1.0
c. Conservation Stewardship Program
-7.0
—
—
—
—
—
—


d. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
-122.0
-125.0
-125.0
-125.0
-125.0
-125.0
—
+0.0
+0.0
e. Biorefinery Assistance Program
-16.0
-19.0
-20.0
-175.0
-175.0
-36.0
—
-155.0
-16.0
f. Biomass Crop Assistance Program
-2.0
-20.0
-20.0
-20.0
-21.0
-21.0
—
-1.0
-1.0
g. The Emergency Food Assistance Program
—
—
+19.0
—
—
—
—
-19.0
-19.0
h. Cushion of Credit (Rural Development)
-179.0
-179.0
-132.0
-176.0
-196.0
-196.0
—
-64.0
-64.0
i. Section 32
-121.0
-216.0
-231.0
-263.0
-263.0
-263.0
—
-32.0
-32.0
CRS-14

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FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
FY2018
Change FY17 to FY18

P.L. 113-
P.L. 114-
P.L. 115-
Admin.
House
S. Cmte.
House-
Senate-
Agency or Major Program
235
113
31
Request
H.R. 3354
S. 1603
Enacted
passed
reported
j. Other CHIMPS and rescissions
-133.0
+5.0
-2.0
-9.0
-55.0
-66.0
—
-53.0
-64.0
Subtotal, CHIMPS
-785.0
-831.0
-744.0
-1,032.0
-890.0
-941.0
—
-146.0
-197.0
Rescissions (discretionary)
-17.0
-34.0
-854.0
-899.7
-600.0
-800.0
—
+254.0
+54.0
Other appropriations









a. Disaster/emergency programs
116.0
273.0
234.8k
—
—
—
—
-234.8
-234.8
b. Other appropriations
6.6
283.1g
237.4g
—
6.5
35.1
—
-230.9
-202.3
Subtotal, Other appropriations
122.6
556.1
472.2
—
6.5
35.1
—
-465.7
-437.1
Total, General Provisions
-679.4
-308.9
-1,125.8
-1,931.7
-1,483.5
-1,705.9
—
-357.7
-580.1
Scorekeeping Adjustmentsl









Disaster declaration in this bil
-116.0
-130.0
-206.1k
—
—
—
—
+206.1
+206.1
Other scorekeeping adjustments
-398.0
-332.0
-524.0
-485.0
-481.0
-482.0
—
+43.0
+42.0
Subtotal, Scorekeeping adjustments
-514.0
-462.0
-730.1
-485.0
-481.0
-482.0
—
+249.1
+248.1
Totals









Discretionary: Senate basis w/o CFTC
20,575.0
[21,500.0]
20,877.0
15,571.6
[19,748.9]
20,525.1
—
-1,128.1
-351.9
Discretionary: House basis w/ CFTC
[20,825.0]
21,750.0
[21,127.0]
15,821.6
19,996.9
[20,775.1]
—
-1,130.1
-351.9
Mandatory (M)
126,756.5
118,990.7
132,506.9
124,918.3
124,915.4
124,915.4
—
-7,591.5
-7,591.5
Total: Senate basis w/o CFTC
147,331.5
140,490.7
153,383.9
140,489.9
144,664.3
145,440.5
—
-8,719.5
-7,943.4
Total: House basis w/ CFTC
147,581.5
140,740.7
153,633.9
140,739.9
144,912.3
145,690.5
—
-8,721.5
-7,943.4
Source: CRS, using appropriations text and report tables, and unpublished Congressional Budget Office (CBO) tables. Reflects H.R. 3354 as amended from H.R. 3268.
Notes: Amounts are nominal budget authority in mil ions of dol ars. Amounts are discretionary authority unless labeled otherwise; (M) indicates that the account is
mandatory authority (or primarily mandatory authority). Bracketed amounts are not in the official totals due to differing House-Senate jurisdiction for CFTC but are
shown for comparison.
a. Row headings reflect recent USDA reorganization. The Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency were moved from Title I to Title II, as was the
Commodity Credit Corporation and Federal Crop Insurance Corporation in mandatory spending.
CRS-15

---

b. Includes regular FSA salaries and expenses, plus transfers for farm loan program salaries and administrative expenses. Also includes farm loan program loan subsidy,
State Mediation Grants, Dairy Indemnity Program (mandatory funding), and Grassroots Source Water Protection Program. Does not include appropriations to the
Foreign Agricultural Service for export loans and P.L. 480 administration that are transferred to FSA.
c. Loan authority is the amount of loans that can be made or guaranteed with a loan subsidy. This amount is not added in the budget authority subtotals or totals.
d. Differences were computed using amounts for FY2017 that were adjusted to reflect the placement of agencies under the reorganization.
e. Includes Rural Development salaries and expenses and transfers from the three rural development agencies for salaries and expenses. Amounts for the agencies thus
reflect program funds for loans and grants.
f.
Amounts for the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS) are before the rescission in the Cushion of Credit account, unlike in Appropriations Committee tables.
The rescission is included with the CHIMPS as classified by CBO, which allows the RBCS subtotal to remain positive.
g. In addition to the regular appropriations for Food for Peace Title II grants in Title V ($1.466 bil ion), extra appropriations were made under General Provisions in
FY2016 ($250 mil ion) and FY2017 ($134 mil ion).
h. Jurisdiction for CFTC is in the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee and the Senate Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee. After FY2008,
CFTC is carried in enacted Agriculture appropriations in even-numbered fiscal years in House Agriculture markup but not in Senate Agriculture markup. Bracketed
amounts are not in the official totals due to differing House-Senate jurisdiction for CFTC but are shown for comparison.
i.
Senate Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, chairman’s draft, in lieu of subcommittee markup, November 20, 2017.
j.
Includes reductions (limitations and rescissions) to mandatory programs that may also be known as CHIMPS.
k. Includes $206 mil ion appropriated for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Watershed Program (EWP) in the FY2017 second CR (P.L. 114-
254, Section 185) that were offset as emergency spending. Another $29 mil ion for ECP was included in the final appropriation (Section 753).
l.
“Scorekeeping adjustments” are not necessarily appropriated items and may not be shown in appropriations committee tables but are part of the official CBO score
(accounting) of the bil . They predominantly include “negative subsidies” in loan program accounts and adjustments for disaster designations in the bil .
CRS-16

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Appendix A. Budget Sequestration
Sequestration is a process of automatic, largely across-the-board reductions that permanently
cancel mandatory and/or discretionary budget authority.30 Sequestration is triggered as a budget
enforcement mechanism when federal spending would exceed statutory budget goals.31
Sequestration is currently authorized in the BCA (P.L. 112-25) for discretionary spending through
FY2021 and for mandatory spending through FY2027, as amended by subsequent acts and
explained below.
Besides FY2013—when the timing of appropriations and the first year of sequestration resulted
in triggering sequestration on discretionary spending—Bipartisan Budget Acts in 2013, 2015, and
2018 (P.L. 113-67, P.L. 114-74, and P.L. 115-123, respectively) have avoided sequestration on
discretionary spending. These acts raised the discretionary budget caps that were placed in statute
by the BCA and allowed Congress to enact larger appropriations than were allowed under the
BCA. Sequestration, however, continues to apply to certain accounts of mandatory spending and
is not avoided by the Bipartisan Budget Acts (Table A-1).
The original FY2021 sunset on the sequestration of mandatory accounts has been extended four
times to pay for avoiding sequestration of discretionary spending in the near term or as a general
budgetary offset for other bills:
1. Congress extended the duration of mandatory sequestration by two years (until
FY2023) as an offset in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013.32
2. Congress extended it by another year (until FY2024) to maintain retirement
benefits for certain military personnel (P.L. 113-82).
3. Congress extended sequestration on non-exempt mandatory accounts another
year (until FY2025) as an offset in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.33
4. Congress extended sequestration on non-exempt mandatory accounts by another
two years (until FY2027) as an offset in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L.
115-123 Division C, Section 30101(c)).34
Some farm bill mandatory programs are exempt from sequestration. The nutrition programs and
the Conservation Reserve Program are statutorily exempt,35 and some prior legal obligations in
crop insurance and the farm commodity programs may be exempt36 as determined by OMB.37
Generally speaking, the experience since FY2013 is that OMB has ruled that most of crop

30 CRS Report R43411, The Budget Control Act of 2011: Legislative Changes to the Law and Their Budgetary Effects.
31 CRS Report R42972, Sequestration as a Budget Enforcement Process: Frequently Asked Questions.
32 CBO, Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, December 11, 2013, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/44964.
33 CBO, Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, October 28, 2015, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/50938. In addition to
extending the duration of sequestration, Congress used crop insurance as a budgetary offset in the Bipartisan Budget
Act of 2015. The effect was temporary, however, and the crop insurance reduction was restored. For more background,
see the section on crop insurance and the Standard Reinsurance Agreement in CRS Report R44240, Agriculture and
Related Agencies: FY2016 Appropriations.
34 CBO, Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, February 8, 2018, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/53556.
35 2 U.S.C. 905 (h), and 2 U.S.C. 905 (g)(1)(A).
36 2 U.S.C. 905 (g)(2), and 2 U.S.C. 906 (j).
37 Some administrative expenses may be subject to sequestration, and therefore programs that are otherwise exempt
may have a relatively small sequesterable amount compared to their total budget authority.
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insurance is exempt from sequestration, while the farm commodity programs, disaster assistance,
and most conservation programs have been subject to it.38
For example, under the 2014 farm bill, the first farm commodity program payments began to be
paid in October 2015, and USDA indicated that they would be subject to the 6.8% reduction that
was applicable to FY2016.39
Thus, sequestration on non-exempt mandatory accounts continues in FY2018. Non-exempt
mandatory spending in agriculture accounts are reduced by a 6.6% sequestration rate and thus are
paid at 93.4% of what they would have otherwise provided. This results in a reduction of about
$1.3 billion less than what would have been authorized from mandatory agriculture accounts in
FY2018.
Table A-1 shows the rates of sequestration that have been announced so far and the total amounts
of budget authority that have been cancelled from accounts in the Agriculture appropriations bill.
Table A-2 provides additional detail at the account level for sequestration on mandatory accounts
within the jurisdiction of Agriculture appropriations.
Table A-1. Sequestration from Discretionary and Mandatory Agriculture
Appropriations
(sequestered budget authority in millions of dollars)
Discretionary Accounts
Mandatory Accounts
Fisc
al year
Rate
Amount
Rate
Amount
2013
5.0%
1,153
5.1%
713
2014
—
—
7.2%
1,052
2015
—
—
7.3%
1,153
2016
—
—
6.8%
1,819
2017
—
—
6.9%
1,686
2018
—
—
6.6%
1,316
Source: CRS, compiled from OMB, Reports to the Congress on the Joint Committee Reductions, various fiscal years.
Available for FY2018 at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/legislative/omb-reports and FY2013-FY2017 at
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/legislative_reports/sequestration.
Notes: Sequestration rates listed here are for non-exempt, non-defense accounts. Amount totals were
computed by CRS, as compiled in Table A-2.

38 CRS Report R42050, Budget “Sequestration” and Selected Program Exemptions and Special Rules.
39 Southwest Farm Press, “Vilsack Announces 6.8% ARC/PLC Cuts Forthcoming,” October 8, 2015, http://southwest
farmpress.com/government/vilsack-announces-68-arcplc-cuts-forthcoming-2014-2016-payments-farmers.
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Table A-2. Sequestration of Mandatory Accounts in Agriculture Appropriations
(sequestered budget authority in millions of dollars)
FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017 FY2018
Sequestration rate on non-exemp t, non-defense mandatory accounts
5.1%
7.2%
7.3%
6.8%
6.9%
6.6%
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Secretary

—

—
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.9
Office of Chief Economist
—
—
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
Agricultural Research Service
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
—
—
—
9.9
10.0
—
Extension
0.3
0.4
1.8
—
—
3.3
Biomass Research and Development
—
—
0.2
0.2
0.2
—
Integrated Activities
—
—
7.3
—
—
6.6
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service






Salaries appropriation
13.6
18.8
21.5
20.1
19.5
18.8
Miscellaneous Trust Funds
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
Food Safety Inspection Service
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration
2.1
3.0
3.0
3.1
3.1
2.9
Agricultural Marketing Service
Section 32
40.4
79.7
81.9
77.3
79.6
78.1
Milk Market Orders Assessment Fund
2.9
4.2
4.2
4.0
4.1
4.0
Perishable Ag Commodities Act
0.6
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.7
Expenses and refunds
0.4
0.9
0.9
1.3
1.3
0.4
Payments to States and Possessions
—
—
5.3
5.0
5.0
5.6
Marketing Services
—
—
2.2
2.0
2.1
2.0
Risk Management Agency
—
—
—
—
0.6
—
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
3.0
4.2
5.9
3.5
3.9
3.7
Farm Service Agency
Commodity Credit Corporation Fund
329.5
573.7
710.8 1,388.6 1,238.6
904.1
Agricultural Credit Insurance Corporation
—
—
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
Commodity Credit Corporation Export Loans
—
—
—
0.4
0.4
0.3
Pima Cotton Trust Fund
—
—
—
1.1
1.1
1.1
Wool Apparel Manufacturers Trust Fund
—
—
—
2.0
2.1
2.0
Agricultural Disaster Relief Fund
70.0
—
—
—
—
—
Tobacco Trust Fund
49.0
69.1
—
—
—
—
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Farm Security and Rural Investment Programs
171.2
263.1
269.9
265.7
281.5
254.9
Watershed Rehabilitation Program
—
11.9
11.2
4.7
4.7
4.4
Rural Development, Rural Business Cooperative Service






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FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017 FY2018
Rural Energy for America Program
1.1
3.0
3.7
3.4
3.5
3.3
Rural Microenterprise Investment Program
—
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
Energy Assistance Payments
3.3
3.2
1.1
1.0
1.0
1.0
Biorefinery Assistance Program
—
—
3.7
3.4
1.4
1.3
Rural Economic Development Grants
—
—
—
1.6
—
—
Foreign Agricultural Service
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
Food and Nutrition Servicea
SNAP
4.7
8.0
8.4
9.8
10.6
9.6
Child Nutrition Programs
2.5
4.2
4.2
3.9
4.3
4.0
Commodity Assistance Program
1.1
1.5
1.5
1.4
1.4
1.4
WIC
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
Related Agencies
Food and Drug Administration






Revolving Fund for Certification
0.4
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
User Fees
16.3
—
—
—
—
—
Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
0.7
0.9
1.0
2.2
2.2
0.1
Total
713.3 1,051.9 1,153.0 1,818.9 1,685.6 1,315.9
Source: CRS, compiled from OMB, Reports to the Congress on the Joint Committee Reductions, various fiscal years.
Available for FY2018 at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/legislative/omb-reports and FY2013-FY2017 at
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/legislative_reports/sequestration.
Notes: Sequestration rates are for non-exempt, non-defense accounts. The sequesterable budget authority for
each row may be computed by dividing the amount of sequestration by the sequestration rate. Column totals
were computed by CRS.
a. Benefits from the nutrition programs are generally exempt from sequestration by statute, but some
administrative expenses in these programs may be subject to sequestration, and therefore a relatively small
portion of the total budget authority may be sequesterable.
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Appendix B. Action on Agriculture Appropriations
Table B-1. Congressional Action on Agriculture Appropriations Since FY1997

House Action
Senate Action
Final Appropriation

Fiscal
CRS
Year
Subcmte.
Cmte.
Floor
Subcmte.
Cmte.
Floor
Enacteda
Public Law
Report
1997
5/30/1996
6/6/1996
6/12/1996
7/10/1996
7/11/1996
7/24/1996
8/6/1996
E P.L. 104-180
IB96015
1998
6/25/1997
7/14/1997
7/24/1997
7/15/1997
7/17/1997
7/24/1997
11/18/1997
E P.L. 105-86
97-201
1999
6/10/1998
6/16/1998
6/24/1998
6/9/1998
6/11/1998
7/16/1998
10/21/1998 O P.L. 105-277
98-201
2000
5/13/1999
5/24/1999
6/8/1999
6/15/1999
6/17/1999
8/4/1999
10/22/1999
E P.L. 106-78
RL30201
2001
5/4/2000
5/16/2000
7/11/2000
5/4/2000
5/10/2000
7/20/2000
10/28/2000
E P.L. 106-387
RL30501
2002
6/6/2001
6/27/2001
7/11/2001
Pol ed outb 7/18/2001
10/25/2001
11/28/2001
E P.L. 107-76
RL31001
2003
6/26/2002
7/26/2002
—
7/23/2002
7/25/2002
—
2/20/2003
O P.L. 108-7
RL31301
2004
6/17/2003
7/9/2003
7/14/2003
7/17/2003
11/6/2003
11/6/2003
1/23/2004
O P.L. 108-199
RL31801
2005
6/14/2004
7/7/2004
7/13/2004
9/8/2004
9/14/2004
—
12/8/2004
O P.L. 108-447
RL32301
2006
5/16/2005
6/2/2005
6/8/2005
6/21/2005
6/27/2005
9/22/2005
11/10/2005
E P.L. 109-97
RL32904
2007
5/3/2006
5/9/2006
5/23/2006
6/20/2006
6/22/2006
—
2/15/2007
Y P.L. 110-5
RL33412
2008
7/12/2007
7/19/2007
8/2/2007
7/17/2007
7/19/2007
—
12/26/2007 O P.L. 110-161
RL34132
2009
6/19/2008
—
—
Pol ed outb 7/17/2008
—
3/11/2009
O P.L. 111-8
R40000
2010
6/11/2009
6/18/2009
7/9/2009
Pol ed outb
7/7/2009
8/4/2009
10/21/2009
E P.L. 111-80
R40721
2011
6/30/2010
—
—
Pol ed outb 7/15/2010
—
4/15/2011
Y P.L. 112-10
R41475
2012
5/24/2011
5/31/2011
6/16/2011
Pol ed outb
9/7/2011
11/1/2011
11/18/2011 O P.L. 112-55
R41964
2013
6/6/2012
6/19/2012
—
Pol ed outb 4/26/2012
—
3/26/2013
O P.L. 113-6
R43110
2014
6/5/2013
6/13/2013
—
6/18/2013
6/20/2013
—
1/17/2014
O P.L. 113-76
R43110
2015
5/20/2014
5/29/2014
—
5/20/2014
5/22/2014
—
12/16/2014 O P.L. 113-235
R43669
2016
6/18/2015
7/8/2015
—
7/14/2015
7/16/2015
—
12/18/2015 O P.L. 114-113
R44240
2017
4/13/2016
4/19/2016
—
5/17/2016
5/19/2016
—
5/5/2017
O P.L. 115-31
R44588
2018
6/28/2017
7/12/2017
9/14/2017
7/18/2017
7/20/2017
—
—
—
—

Source: CRS.
a. E = Enacted as standalone appropriation (seven times over 21 years); O = Omnibus appropriation (12
times); Y = Year-long CR (two times).
b. A procedure that permits a Senate subcommittee to transmit a bil to its ful committee without a formal
markup session. See CRS Report RS22952, Proxy Voting and Polling in Senate Committee.

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Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2018 Appropriations

Author Contact Information

Jim Monke

Specialist in Agricultural Policy
jmonke@crs.loc.gov, 7-9664

Key Policy Staff
Area of Expertise
Name
Phone
Email
Agricultural appropriations, USDA budget
Jim Monke
7-9664
jmonke@crs.loc.gov
Agricultural Marketing Service
Joel Greene
7-9877
jgreene@crs.loc.gov
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Tadlock Cowan
7-7600
tcowan@crs.loc.gov
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Rena Mil er
7-0826
rsmil er@crs.loc.gov
Conservation
Megan Stubbs
7-8707
mstubbs@crs.loc.gov
Crop insurance
Isabel Rosa
7-0839
irosa@crs.loc.gov
Dietary guidelines
Agata Dabrowska
7-9455
adabrowska@crs.loc.gov
Disaster assistance
Megan Stubbs
7-8707
mstubbs@crs.loc.gov
Farm Service Agency
Jim Monke
7-9664
jmonke@crs.loc.gov
Sahar Angadjivand
7-1286
sangadjivand@crs.loc.gov
Food and Drug Administration
Agata Dabrowska
7-9455
adabrowska@crs.loc.gov
Food safety, generally
Renée Johnson
7-9588
rjohnson@crs.loc.gov
Food safety, meat and poultry inspection
Joel Greene
7-9877
jgreene@crs.loc.gov
Foreign food aid
Randy Schnepf
7-4277
rschnepf@crs.loc.gov
Nutrition and domestic food assistance
Randy Alison Aussenberg
7-8641
raussenberg@crs.loc.gov
Research and extension
Tadlock Cowan
7-7600
tcowan@crs.loc.gov
Rural development
Tadlock Cowan
7-7600
tcowan@crs.loc.gov
Trade
Renée Johnson
7-9588
rjohnson@crs.loc.gov
Jenny Hopkinson
7-3137
jhopkinson@crs.loc.gov

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