Republicans are already fighting back against President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for 2018, which calls for reduced spending on agriculture subsidies.
The budget would curb payments like crop insurance, conservation assistance and rural development programs, according to reports on the plan, which the administration will release Tuesday.
Cutting programs like crop insurance, payments for conserving agricultural land, and rural development programs that are governed by farm appropriations bills is not popular with Republican congressmen.
Trump’s previous budget proposal only dealt with so-called discretionary programs, where agencies have a set amount of funds for each project. The revised budget proposal would reduce subsidy programs that don’t have a set budget, as well as food stamps, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other safety net programs. (RELATED: ‘Conservatives Will Love It. Moderates Will Probably Hate It’ — Trump’s Budget Features $1.7 Tril. In Entitlement Cuts)
“We think it’s wrongheaded,” Texas Republican Rep. Mike Conaway, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, told Fox News Monday. “Production agriculture is in the worst slump since the depression — 50 percent drop in the net income for producers. They need this safety net.”
House Republicans are going to push against cuts to farm programs in the budget, hoping to address subsidy programs in the 2018 farm appropriations bill.
“The president wanted a robust farm bill and we intend to get that done,” Conaway said. “Obviously, resources will be the next big issue to come to grips with.”
“When the administration sends over their budget they’re looking for programs to cut to try to get their numbers to all add up. We’re not looking to take exactly what they recommend and running with it,” Alabama Republican Rep. Robert Aderholt, chairman of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, told Agri-Pulse.
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