The FY2006 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

The FY2006 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Order Code RS22071
March 2, 2005
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
The FY2006 Budget Request for the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Coordinated by Jim Monke
Analyst in Agricultural Policy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Summary
The Administration’s FY2006 budget request for the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) includes estimated outlays of $94.6 billion. Discretionary budget
authority would fall 12% from FY2005 levels to $19.4 billion ($21 billion outlays), and
mandatory outlays would remain steady at $73 billion. The request includes proposals
to reduce mandatory spending for farm commodity programs, food stamps, rural
development, and conservation. Some foreign food assistance funds are redirected for
purchases in markets abroad. Many congressionally earmarked research projects are
eliminated, and competitive peer-review funded research would replace some formula
funding. This report will not be updated.1
Farm Commodity Support
USDA administers farm price and income support programs, as authorized by the
2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171), for commodities such as grains, cotton, oilseeds, dairy,
peanuts, and sugar. These support programs (as well as certain conservation and trade
programs) do not require an annual appropriation, but instead are funded through the
borrowing authority of USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). The CCC has a
$30 billion line of credit with the U.S. Treasury, and receives an annual appropriation to
reimburse it for previous years’ losses so that it does not exhaust its borrowing authority.
For farm commodity programs in FY2006, the Administration estimates that
spending will be $16.4 billion, down from $17.9 billion estimated for FY2005, but up
sharply from $8.0 billion in FY2004 due to lower market prices. The estimate for FY2006
does not include the Administration’s legislative proposals, described below, or any
spending for disaster assistance. For the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the USDA agency
1 Also contributing to this report: CRS analysts Ralph M. Chite (crop insurance and dairy), Remy
Jurenas (sugar), Jeffrey A. Zinn (conservation), Charles M. Hanrahan (trade), Tadlock Cowan
(rural development), Jean M. Rawson (research), Geoffrey S. Becker (food safety, and marketing
and regulatory programs), and Joe Richardson (food and nutrition).
Congressional Research Service { The Library of Congress

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that administers the farm commodity programs, the Administration requests an
appropriation of $1.37 billion for salaries and expenses, up about 5%.
The Administration proposes a broad package of deficit reduction measures
including legislative changes to reduce farm program spending by $587 million in
FY2006 (a 3.6% cut) and $5.7 billion over 10 years (a 3.8% cut). Further action depends
on whether the FY2006 budget resolution will contain reconciliation instructions for the
Agriculture Committees, and how the committees carry out the instructions. The House
Committee on Agriculture contends that the 2002 farm bill should not be reopened. The
Administration’s plan and its estimated savings include:
Revising the Marketing Loan Program. Instead of 100% of actual production
being eligible for the marketing loan program, 85% of the historical program yield
multiplied by reported acres would qualify. (CRS Report RS21779 describes the subsidy
programs.) The reduction would come from the percentage change in the formula, and
because program yields are typically less than expected actual yields. Administration
officials say that about 60-65% of production would remain eligible. The
Administration’s estimated reduction: $432 million in FY2006, $1.1 billion over 10 years.
5% Across-the-Board Reduction. Reduce all payments to producers by 5%
(direct, counter-cyclical, marketing loan, and dairy). Calculate payments under current law
and subtract 5%. Estimated reduction: $383 million in FY2006, $3.6 billion over 10 years.
Tighter Payment Limits. Reduce the payment limit per person from $360,000
to $250,000; count commodity certificates and forfeiture toward the limits; eliminate the
three-entity rule; and apply the payment limits to dairy. Estimated reduction: $200 million
in FY2006, $1.2 billion over 10 years. (See CRS Report RS21493 on payment limits.)
Dairy. Extend the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program for two years
beyond its September 30, 2005, expiration so that it expires near the end of the 2002 farm
bill. USDA estimates the two-year cost of the extension at $1.2 billion. To offset some
of this cost, the Administration proposes a legislative change to the dairy price support
program, giving USDA more flexibility in adjusting purchase prices of surplus dairy
products (reduction of $130 million in FY2006, $610 million over 10 years). Estimated
net additional cost for dairy: $590 million over 10 years. (See CRS Issue Brief IB97011.)
Sugar. Apply a 1.2% marketing assessment on domestic sugar processed by raw
cane mills and sugar beet refiners, effectively lowering loan rates by more than 0.2¢/lb.
Estimated reduction of $42 million in FY2006, $435 million over 10 years.
Crop Insurance
The Administration’s budget request contains legislative proposals affecting the crop
insurance program that it says would save $140 million annually, beginning in FY2007.
These proposals include (1) a requirement that farmers purchase crop insurance as a
prerequisite for receiving farm commodity payments; (2) a two to five percentage point
reduction in the portion of the premium that is paid by the government, with larger
reductions at lower levels of coverage; (3) a requirement that producers pay 25% of the
premium (up to $5,000) for catastrophic (CAT) coverage, instead of the current
requirement that a producer pay a $100 administrative fee and no premium; and (4) a two

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percentage point reduction in the reimbursement rate to private crop insurance companies
for administrative and operating expenses. USDA contends that these proposals would
encourage farmers to buy higher levels of coverage, and preclude the need for ad-hoc
disaster payments, which have been made on a regular basis over the past 20 years.
Conservation
Proposed conservation spending for FY2006 includes numerous reductions from
FY2005 for discretionary programs, and changes to FY2005 levels or authorized FY2006
levels for most mandatory programs. Discretionary spending would decline $185 million
to $814 million in FY2006. Mandatory funding would rise $33 million to $3.93 billion.
For discretionary programs, $768 million is requested for Conservation Operations
(the largest discretionary program), which is a reduction of $69 million from FY2005.
The request calls for no funding for Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations ($75.6
million in FY2005), reduces the Watershed Rehabilitation Program by $12.4 million (to
$15.1 million), reduces the Watershed Surveys and Planning Program by $2 million (to
$5 million), and reduces the Resource Conservation and Development Program (RC&D)
by $26 million (to $25.6 million). The latter reflects a proposal to phase out support to
participating areas after 20 years (ending funding to 189 of the 375 participating areas).
Mandatory programs administered by the Natural Resource Conservation Service
(NRCS) would decline by a total of $46 million to $1.9 billion in FY2006. The
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in FSA would increase by $79 million to $2.02
billion. The largest proposed reductions include the Grasslands Reserve Program (from
$128 million to $0, after allocating the entire $254 million authorized in the 2002 farm
bill), the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (by $26 million to $84 million), and
the Agricultural Management Assistance Program (by $14 million to $0). The
Environmental Quality Incentives Program, authorized at $1.2 billion, received $1.02
billion in FY2005 and is proposed for $1 billion in FY2006. Increases are proposed for
the CRP, the Conservation Security Program (CSP, up $72 million to $274 million), and
the Wetlands Reserve (up $46 million to $321 million and 200,000 acres). For the CSP,
the Administration’s request is $182 million below the authorized level.
Agricultural Trade and Food Aid
USDA’s international activities are funded by discretionary appropriations (e.g.,
foreign food assistance under P.L. 480) and using the borrowing authority of the CCC
(e.g., export credit guarantees, market development programs, and export subsidies).
Combined, the total program value is estimated at $6.3 billion for FY2006, of which
$1.217 billion would require an appropriation. The FY2006 program level is $682
million less than FY2005, with most of the difference accounted for by a $600 million
reduction in foreign food assistance. The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) requests an
appropriation of $152 million to administer its international programs.
For P.L. 480 foreign food assistance, the Administration requests a $965 million
appropriation ($1.1 billion program value with carry-over and reimbursements). Included
in the requested appropriation are $80 million for Title I (long-term, low-interest loans)
and $885 million for Title II (humanitarian donations and non-emergency development

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projects). The Title II request is $300 million less than the $1.185 billion requested in
recent budgets, but is offset by an equivalent increase for the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) International Disaster and Famine Assistance
account to purchase food for emergency relief in markets closer to their final destinations.
No request is indicated for the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, which currently holds
1.4 million metric tons of wheat and $87 million in cash. The budget assumes $137
million of CCC funds, plus additional appropriations through P.L. 480 Title I, for the
Food for Progress (FFP) program which provides food aid to emerging democracies. For
the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, the
budget requests a $100 million appropriation, 15% more than in FY2005.
CCC Export Credit Guarantee Programs guarantee payment of commercial financing
of U.S. agricultural exports. The President’s budget estimates a program level for such
guarantees of $4.4 billion. Most guarantees are for short-term commercial credits, with
less for long-term financing. USDA’s export promotion programs include the Market
Access Program ($125 million from CCC, $75 million less than the authorized amount),
which primarily promotes sales of high value products. The export promotion program
that mainly promotes bulk commodities, the Foreign Market Development Program,
would receive $34.5 million, the same as in FY2005. For export subsidy programs, the
budget allocates $28 million to the Export Enhancement Program ($0 in FY2005) and $52
million to the Dairy Export Incentive Program ($46 million more than in FY2005). The
Administration requests $90 million for Trade Adjustment Assistance to Farmers, the
maximum allowed in the 2002 Trade Act.
Rural Development
The Administration is requesting a total FY2006 appropriation of $2.47 billion for
USDA’s discretionary rural development programs, up $60 million from FY2005. Of this
amount, $521.7 million ($194.4 million less than in FY2005) is for the three accounts
comprising the 12 programs of the Rural Community Advancement Program (RCAP):
Utilities ($449.7 million), Community Facilities ($27.8 million), and Business-
Cooperative Development ($44.2 million). The request for the Utilities account, which
funds water and waste water facilities, is approximately $103 million less than
appropriated in FY2005. Requested earmarks are lower: $9.0 million to Native tribes for
water and waste water improvements ($25.0 million appropriated in FY2005); $11.8
million for the colonias ($25.0 million appropriated in FY2005); $11.8 million for
Alaskan rural and native communities ($26.0 million appropriated in FY2005). No
funding is requested for the Rural Community Development Initiative, the Delta Regional
Authority, or the Northern Great Plains Regional Authority.
No funding is requested in FY2006 for several USDA community programs which
the Administration proposes consolidating into a new economic development program
administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce. These programs include Rural
Business Enterprise Grants, Rural Business Opportunity Grants, the Empowerment
Zones/Enterprise Communities, and the Rural Economic Area Partnership.
The Administration proposes permanently cancelling the mandatory funding of
several programs authorized by the 2002 farm bill, with cuts of about $400 million in
FY2006. These include the Rural Firefighters and Emergency Personnel Program, the
Rural Business Investment Program, the Rural Strategic Investment Program, Enhanced

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Rural Access to Broadband Program, the Value-Added Products Grant Program, and the
Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Program. For the latter two programs,
however, the Administration requests discretionary funding of $15.5 million and $10.0
million, respectively, for FY2006.
Agricultural Research
The Administration’s budget request for FY2006 would provide a total of $2.3
billion for USDA’s research, extension, and economics mission area, representing a
13.5% reduction from the FY2005 appropriation. As in previous years, proposed
termination of a large number of earmarked projects accounts for much of the decrease.
The request calls for $1.06 billion in total for USDA’s in-house science agency, the
Agricultural Research Service (ARS received $1.3 billion in FY2005). Of that amount,
$996.1 million would support ARS’s research programs (down from $1.1 billion in
FY2005), and $64.8 million would support the modernization and construction of
laboratories. The Administration is proposing to terminate a record number of 300
earmarked ARS research projects (amounting to $121 million), and redirect $39 million
toward increased research related to homeland security.
The Administration proposes $1.02 billion in total for FY2006 for the Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), the agency through which
USDA sends federal funds to land grant Colleges of Agriculture ($1.16 billion in
FY2005). The Administration proposes a 50% cut in formula funds (under the Hatch Act)
for agricultural research at the 1862 colleges ($89.4 million), stating that “this is the first
phase of a plan to shift funding for this program to competitively awarded grants.” The
budget contains a new line item, “Regional, State, and Local Grants Program,” containing
$75 million for new competitively awarded support, and calls for a 39% increase for the
National Research Initiative, which offers competitively awarded grants.
Formula funds for Extension activities at the 1862 schools (under the Smith-Lever
Act) would be appropriated at the FY2005 level before rescission ($276 million). Slight
increases for research and Extension are called for at the historically black 1890 colleges
of agriculture ($38.3 million and $34.4 million, respectively). CSREES Integrated
Activities (combined research and Extension) would fall by 36% to $35 million.
The Administration is requesting a $6.6 million increase for USDA’s Economic
Research Service ($80.7 million). It proposes a $16.7 million increase for the National
Agricultural Statistics Service ($145 million).
Food Safety
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) conducts mandatory inspection
of meat, poultry, and processed egg products to insure their safety and proper labeling.
The FY2006 budget proposes a $973 million program level for FSIS, of which $123
million is funded by existing user fees, and $850 million by congressional appropriation.
The $850 million is $33 million above the FY2005 appropriation. Within the overall
increase is $19 million to expand FSIS activities related to USDA food defense and

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biosurveillance. Part of the $850 million appropriation would be reduced through $139
million in proposed user fees. Congress has not agreed to similar proposals in the past.
Marketing and Regulatory Programs
For the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the USDA agency that
protects U.S. agriculture from domestic and foreign pests and diseases, the FY2006
budget request proposes an appropriation of $871 million for APHIS, $58 million above
the FY2005 estimate. Another $137 million in existing user fees also funds various
APHIS operations. Much of the $58 million increase would be for activities related to
food defense. Some APHIS pest and disease programs, such as for boll weevil,
brucellosis, and Johne’s disease, are slated for decreases in FY2006. The Administration
is proposing new user fees for APHIS ($11 million for animal welfare activities), for the
Agricultural Marketing Service ($3 million to develop commodity grade standards), and
for the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration ($25 million).
BSE. Funding for USDA’s share of federal efforts to protect U.S. cattle from BSE
(bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or “mad cow disease”) would decline from an
estimated $123 million in FY2005 to $66 million in FY2006. However, $64 million of
the FY2005 total was “emergency” funding transferred from the CCC to stimulate start-up
of a national animal ID program and enhanced BSE testing. The FY2006 appropriation
would be used to test 40,000 animals for BSE ($21 million), to work on the animal ID
program ($33 million), and to pay for BSE-related research ($12 million).
Domestic Food Assistance
Funding for domestic food assistance represents the majority of the USDA’s budget.
Most is mandatory funding, with the major exception being the discretionary program
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
With a few exceptions, the budget proposes “full funding” for domestic food
assistance programs, based on its economic projections for the increased need for aid.
FY2006 appropriations (new budget authority) covering domestic food assistance would
total $59 billion, an increase of $6.5 billion over FY2005. However, the FY2006 budget
anticipates that actual spending (obligations) would increase to a lesser degree, about $4.4
billion, to $57 billion in FY2006. Food stamp costs are expected to go up by about $3.5
billion, and the budget provides for child nutrition and WIC spending to rise by just over
$500 million and $300 million, respectively.
The FY2006 budget includes initiatives that would change the terms under which
domestic food aid programs operate. Food stamp spending would (1) be constrained by
ending a practice under which some households with relatively high income/assets can
qualify because they receive other public aid and (2) be increased slightly by continuing
a rule benefitting families getting payments for members of the Armed Forces deployed
in overseas combat zones. The uses of WIC dollars would be affected by (1) a cap on the
proportion of state WIC grants that can be spent on nutrition services and administration,
(2) an income limit on those who can get WIC services automatically because of their
participation in the Medicaid program, and (3) continuation of a rule barring approval of
any new retailers whose major source of revenue is derived from the WIC program.