Udall-championed provisions to ban commercial horse slaughter and assist farmers in NM's traditional communities also included
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall joined the Senate Appropriations Committee in unanimously advancing an Agriculture, Rural Development and Food and Drug Administration funding bill that makes critical investments in agriculture, nutrition and research programs to support New Mexico families and rural communities. The bill sets the Fiscal Year 2019 budgets for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and now heads to the full Senate.
"Farming and ranching has been an integral part of New Mexico’s heritage for generations, and is always a key economic engine for in our state. I was pleased to support this bill after ensuring critical resources for our farmers and ranchers, rural communities and Tribes would be protected. This bill provides important funds to strengthen agriculture in New Mexico and maintain funding for SNAP, protect our clean water and quality of our soil, promote our nearly three billion dollar agricultural economy and maintain infrastructure in our rural communities," said Udall, a member of the Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee. "I fought hard to ensure this bill rejects the Trump administration’s budget cuts for rural water, economic development, and vital food assistance programs, and instead protects New Mexico's rural and Tribal communities’ access to resources that improve infrastructure, support schools, and encourage economic development. I'm also very pleased that this bill contains my amendment to effectively ban commercial horse slaughter for human consumption in the United States. This bill also provides additional funding for outreach to socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers that is critical for New Mexico's traditional communities."
Overall, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies appropriations bill approves $23.2 billion to fund the USDA and FDA for FY2019, an increase of $225 million over FY2018, providing a critical investment in public health and safety by funding key nutrition programs, housing and water programs, conservation projects, rural economic development, farm safety net programs, and animal welfare programs. Udall successfully included provisions important to New Mexico that support economic development in rural communities, in particular measures to support Tribes and colonias, provide assistance to farmers and ranchers, and fund food assistance programs to improve the health of low-income children, mothers and the elderly. Many of these programs were cut or eliminated in the budget proposal provided by the Trump administration—but the Senate Appropriations Committee rejected these funding cuts, restoring and increasing funding for almost all key programs.
The bill includes $425 million in rural broadband investment, $558 million in rural water and wastewater infrastructure and $59 million for opioid prevention. The bill also makes critical investments in research, both at universities as well as the Agriculture Research Service. The bill fully funds conservation programs and has no reductions in mandatory spending. It also invests $150 million in the Watershed and Flood Operations program, which helps provide water infrastructure to rural communities to promote conservation.
The bill protects critical nutrition programs, rejecting the Trump Administration’s cuts and fully funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at $73.2 billion; Child Nutrition at $23.84 billion; and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) at $6.2 billion. New Mexico is the third highest recipient of WIC, SNAP and Child Nutrition programs in the nation—with one out of every five New Mexican’s participating—and these programs are critical to helping New Mexico families put food on the table.
The bill also supports beginning farmers and ranchers, keeping $19 million in funding for supporting loans to these operators, and provides $13 million for outreach to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers. It also increases funding for the Value Added Producer Grant, from $15 million to $17.5 million, a program which has successfully helped New Mexico businesses grow and distribute their products outside of the state and country. The bill also increases investments in organics, the fastest growing sector of the Agriculture economy, and food safety to help train local food producers—two programs that will help New Mexico producers remain competitive nationally.
Udall also secured level funding for rural development programs key to New Mexico's rural communities, including for critical loan programs which help rural communities access loans for water and waste disposal, Tribal college facilities, and Tribal business development, and to help individuals in rural New Mexico access direct home loans. Udall also secured $8.6 million for rural business grants, and $4 million specifically set aside for community facilities through tribal colleges. An additional $17.5 million was protected from proposed cuts for grants to help farmers and ranchers develop value added products and expand their businesses, which several small businesses in New Mexico have already benefitted from. The bill also includes a total of $558 million for loans and grants to assist rural communities in developing water and waste disposal infrastructure, including $68 million designated specifically for Native American communities and colonias, and $19 million for the continuation of the Circuit Rider Technical Assistance program.
Udall also helped secure increased funding for Land Grant University Research through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative & McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry, which helps New Mexico remain a leader in agricultural research and innovation, including programs at New Mexico State University. This is the first time these programs have seen increases in over a decade.
In addition, Udall was able to include important language to continue his fight to transform Federal IT systems, and language on transboundary cattle crossings, proper oversight of SNAP programs, and language to assure minority and tribal members are equally represented in housing and research programs.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich welcomed the legislation: “As a $3 billion industry, our ranchers and farmers help drive the economy and have shaped our state’s history, as many growers in New Mexico come from families that have cultivated land for generations. This funding is absolutely essential to New Mexico's rural and tribal communities,” Heinrich said. “I will continue to support critical programs to improve water infrastructure, invest in rural economic development, and ensure families have the nutrition assistance they need,” Heinrich said.
Highlights of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies funding bill include:
Food Assistance Programs
Total: $103.2 Billion
Includes the School Lunch Program; School Breakfast Program; Child & Adult Care Food Program; Summer Food Service Program; Special Milk Program; State Administrative Expenses; Commodity Procurement and School Meal Equipment Grants, among other programs.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): $73.2 billion
SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities and is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) – $6.15 billion
Commodity Supplemental Food Program: $238 million - eliminated in Trump's budget recommendation
CSFP works to improve the health of low-income elderly persons at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA foods.
Farmers' Market Nutrition Program: $18.5 million - eliminated in Trump's budget recommendation
This program provides fresh fruits and vegetables to low-income mothers and children benefiting not only WIC participants but local farmers as well.
Infrastructure and Rural Development Assistance
Rural Utilities Service water, wastewater and waste disposal loans and grants: $558.2 million -eliminated in Trump's budget recommendation
-Circuit Rider Technical Assistance Program for Rural Water Systems: $19 million - eliminated in Trump's budget recommendation
-USDA Rural Water & Waste Disposal Grants for Colonias and Native Americans: $68 million - eliminated in Trump's budget recommendation
Continuation of Grassroots Source Water Protection Program: $6.5 million to help prevent pollution of surface and groundwater used a primary source of drinking water in rural areas - eliminated in Trump's budget recommendation
Grants and loans for Native American Tribes through the Community Facilities Program: $3.15 billion, including funding for water and waste disposal, Tribal college facilities and Tribal business development through the Strikeforce Initiative and Promise Zones.
Education
Continuation of National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) programs important for research and education at land-grant universities:
Hatch Act: $243.7 million
Smith-Lever 3(b) and 3(c): $300 million
McIntire-Stennis: $36 million
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative: $405 million
Farm and Ranch Research and Assistance
Alfalfa Seed and Forage Systems Research Program: $3 million to help increase yields, increase milk production and improve water conservation.
Outreach & Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged & Veteran Farmers & Ranchers Program: $13 million through an amendment Udall authored in the committee markup.
Animal Welfare
Horse Protection Act (HPA) Enforcement: $705,000
Animal Welfare Act (AWA) Enforcement: $30.810 million to ensure that minimum standards of care and treatment be provided for certain animals bred for commercial sale, used in research, transported commercially or exhibited to the public
