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Updated November 28, 2023
Farm Bill Primer: Programs Without Baseline Beyond FY2024
The one-year farm bill extension during FY2024 (P.L. 118-
Why Some Programs Have Baseline, Others Not
22, Division B, §102) provided $177 million of mandatory
Under budget rules, a program with mandatory spending
funding to 19 of the 21 programs without a budget baseline
authority in the last year of its authorization generally may
in the 2018 farm bill (Agriculture Improvement Act of
be assumed to continue as if it did not expire and have
2018, P.L. 115-334; Figure 1). Programs that receive
baseline (2 U.S.C. §907(b)(2)), as explained by the
mandatory funding do not require annual discretionary
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in the annual Budget
appropriations. These 21 programs had received $906
and Economic Outlook. This is the case for long-standing
million of mandatory funding during the five years of the
farm bill programs. Some of the newer, smaller farm bill
2018 farm bill.
programs do not continue in the baseline because the
authorizing and budget committees did not provide them a
From a budgetary perspective, many farm bill programs
baseline to continue.
that receive mandatory funding are assumed to continue
beyond the end of their authorization. That is, they have a
CBO projects future government spending in its official
continuing baseline beyond the end of a farm bill, which
budget baselines but has not published a list of expiring
gives them built-in future funding if Congress decides that
farm bill programs without a continuing baseline. To
the programs are to continue. If the programs are not
compile this list, CRS analyzed the CBO score of the 2018
continued, the baseline can be reallocated or used as an
farm bill, current CBO baseline projections, the statutory
offset for deficit reduction. If farm bill programs without
text of the farm bill, and the text of the extension act,
baseline are continued, reauthorizing would then result in a
looking for programs that received mandatory funding but
positive score (cost) and would need to be offset by
do not have baseline for reauthorization (Figure 1).
reductions elsewhere for the bill to remain budget neutral.
Figure 1. 2018 Farm Bill Programs Without a Budget Baseline After FY2024, by Title
Source: CRS analysis of P.L. 115-334, P.L. 118-22, and CRS Report R45425, Budget Issues That Shaped the 2018 Farm Bil , Table 3.
Notes: Programs in P.L. 115-334 are identified as having mandatory budgetary outlays during FY2019-FY2023 but no budget authority beyond
FY2023. P.L. 118-22, Division B, §102 provides funding for most programs without baseline during the one-year extension.
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Types of Programs Affected
• Of the 39 programs with no baseline after the 2014 farm
Twenty-one programs across eight of the twelve titles of the
bill expired, the 2018 farm bill provided 23 of the
2018 farm bill do not have a baseline, according to CRS
programs with $1.6 billion over FY2019-FY2023; nine
analysis. They received $906 million of mandatory
of which received permanent baseline, costing an
spending authority at enactment of the 2018 farm bill (the
additional $1.5 billion over FY2024-FY2028.
colored bars in Figure 1). This was less than 0.3% of $428
billion total mandatory spending projected for all farm bill
Table 1. Time Series of Programs Without Baseline
programs over FY2019-FY2023.
Receiving Mandatory Funding
While the subset is small over the entire farm bill, the
Farm Bill
Programs
Expiration
$milliona
impact varies by title of the bill. For example, the single
2008 farm bil
37
FY2012
$9,131b
program in the rural development title receiving mandatory
funding is affected. No programs in the trade, credit,
2013 extension
0
—
$0
forestry, or crop insurance titles are affected. For the
2014 farm bil
39
FY2018
$2,824
research title, 34% of mandatory funding for the title is
affected. By comparison, less than 0.1% of funding in the
2018 farm bil
21
FY2023
$906
farm commodities and nutrition titles are affected.
2024 extension
19
FY2024
$177
Some provisions exist within programs with a baseline but
Source: CRS using CRS In Focus IF10780, Farm Bil Primer: Programs
nonetheless result in a cost to reauthorize. The Transition
Without Baseline Beyond FY2018, and CRS Report R41433, Programs
Incentive Program within the Conservation Reserve
Without a Budget Baseline at the End of the 2008 Farm Bil .
Program, which was excluded from the farm bill extension,
is an example. These are not included in this analysis.
a. Amounts are for five years for a farm bil or one year for an
extension.
Extension Provides Funding with a Budget Offset
The farm bill extension for FY2024 (P.L. 118-22, Division
b. At enactment in 2008, the five-year estimated cost of affected
B, §102) provides one year of mandatory funding to 19 of
programs was $9.131 bil ion. In 2012, the estimated cost to
the 21 programs without baseline ($177 million; the gray
reauthorize the programs was as high as $14 bil ion.
hatched bars in Figure 1). Included programs generally
receive one-fifth of their five-year allocation that was in the
During the previous one-year extension of the farm bill in
2018 farm bill. These programs remain without baseline
2013 (P.L. 112-240, Title VII), none of the programs
beyond the extension and will expire at the end of FY2024.
without baseline received any additional mandatory
funding. During that extension, Congress chose to not
Two of the programs that did not receive additional funding
extend mandatory funding for programs without a baseline.
in the extension are Program Implementation funding in the
Although the extension in January 2013 added new
commodity title (a one-time supplement in 2019) and the
“authorizations of appropriations” for many programs
Biorefinery Assistance program in the energy title. The
without baseline, those authorizations went unfunded in the
extension fully offset the mandatory funding provided to
eventual FY2013 appropriations act in March. The
the 19 programs by rescinding unobligated balances in the
programs without baseline went unfunded in FY2013 and
Biorefinery Assistance account ($177 million) remaining
could not operate, a different result than for programs
from the 2014 and 2018 farm bills. Even after rescission,
without baseline during the extension in FY2024.
the Biorefinery Assistance program—a loan guarantee
program that has operated at low cost during the low
For the next farm bill reauthorization, a smaller number of
interest rate environment of the last decade—may retain
programs have no baseline and comprise a smaller dollar
sufficient funding to operate during FY2024.
amount than in previous reauthorizations. This may make it
easier for Congress to balance some of the budget
Comparison with Past Farm Bills
considerations in the next farm bill than when it wrote the
Farm bill programs without a budget baseline have been an
2014 and 2018 farm bills.
issue since the 2008 farm bill. As Congress considers the
next farm bill, fewer programs without a budget baseline
CRS Products
exist than during previous farm bill debates (Table 1).
CRS In Focus IF12047, Farm Bill Primer: What Is the Farm Bill?
During past reauthorizations, some affected programs
CRS In Focus IF12233, Farm Bill Primer: Budget Dynamics
received mandatory funding during the farm bill but not
CRS Report R47659, Expiration of the Farm Bill
permanent baseline. In other cases, programs received
permanent baseline during reauthorization by consolidating
them into a larger umbrella program to exceed a $50
million scoring threshold, which required extra funding in
the 10-year score.
Jim Monke, Specialist in Agricultural Policy
•
IF12115
Of the 37 programs with no baseline after the 2008 farm
bill expired, the 2014 farm bill provided 29 of the
programs with $6.2 billion over FY2014-FY2018.
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Farm Bill Primer: Programs Without Baseline Beyond FY2024
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF12115 · VERSION 7 · UPDATED