# ![](media/image1.jpeg){width="6.11875in" height="1.0923611111111111in"}

Staff Contact: Brad Watson (x69719) July 31, 2007

**Appropriations Policy Brief**

**H.R. 3161 --- Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2008**

[**Earmarks:**]{.underline}

A list of earmarks are included as part of the [Committee
Report](http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_reports&docid=f:hr258.110.pdf).

**[Items of Note]{.underline}:**

**Hunger Fellowship Program**: Provides \$2.5 million for Bill Emerson
and Mickey Leland Hunger Fellowships. No funding was requested for this
program and none was provided last year.

**The Foreign Agricultural Service**: The FAS maintains attachés at 97
foreign posts to assist overseas development of markets for U.S. farm
commodities---largely through collecting information regarding a foreign
government's policies, market conditions, etc. This function could be
performed by the private sector that benefits from such services. H.R.
3161 provides \$164 million for the FAS, an *increase* of \$2.8 million
over last year. The FY 2007 RSC budget called for a 30-percent reduction
in such attachés and a 10-percent reduction in all other activities,
except the general sales manager.

**Funding for the National Agricultural Statistics Service**: The
Service provides estimates of acreage, yield, and production of crops,
stocks, and value of farm commodities, and numbers of inventory values
of livestock items. Data on crops and livestock products are covered in
over 500 reports issued each year. H.R. 3161 provides \$166 million for
FY 2008 (+\$19 million from FY 2007). The FY 2007 RSC budget would have
reduced funding for the Service by 20 percent.

**Watershed Surveys and Planning Program (NRCS)***.* Enacted in 1954,
the purpose of this program is to assist federal, state, and local
agencies and tribal governments in protecting watersheds from damage
caused by erosion, floodwater, and sediment and to conserve and develop
water and land resources. Conservation programs are conducted through a
number of accounts within the Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS), and current conservation operations within the Department of
Agriculture could be combined and reprioritized. The President's budget
proposed eliminating this program, as did the FY 2007 RSC budget. H.R.
3161 would provide \$6.6 million for it, an increase of \$500,000 from
last year.

**Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (NRCS)**. This program
provides technical and financial assistance to local communities to
plan, design, and construct flood prevention, water supply, and water
quality improvement projects. By agreement with the Army Corps of
Engineers, this program funds only operations in small, rural watersheds
and in communities with small populations. In the 2004 Budget, OMB
compared the cost effectiveness of the Corps of Engineers, Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Federal Emergency Management
Agency flood damage reduction programs. Evaluation of projects completed
over a five-year period demonstrated that NRCS' program provided the
fewest benefits per dollar. The Administration requested no funding for
this program and it received no funding last year. H.R. 3161 would
provide \$37 million.

**Resource Conservation and Development Program**. The purpose of the
Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) program is to accelerate
the conservation, development, and utilization of natural resources,
improve the general level of economic activity, and to enhance the
environment and standard of living in designated RC&D areas.
Conservation programs are conducted through a number of accounts within
the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and current conservation
operations within the Department of Agriculture could be better combined
and reprioritized. The FY 2007 RSC budget would have eliminated this
program. However, H.R. 3161 would provide \$51 million for it, \$1
million more than last year and \$38 million more than the President's
request.

**Special Supplement Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC)**. \$5.6 billion is provided for this program, an increase of
\$416 million or 8 percent compared to last year, and an increase of
\$233 million or 4.3 percent compared to the President's request.

**Commodity Assistance Program**. \$150 million is provided for this
program, an increase of \$43 million or 40 percent compared to last
year. The President's budget requested no funding for this program on
the argument that the program duplicates two other Federal nutrition
assistance programs: the WIC program and the Food Stamp program.

**[Funding Summaries]{.underline}:**

*In Thousands*

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- ------------- ----------- ---------- ------------- ------------- -------------
                                                                                **FY 2007**   **FY 2008**   **FY 2007** **Cmte     **House vs**  **House vs**  **House vs**
                                                                                                                        vs**                                   

                                                                                **Enacted**   **Request**   **Cmte**    **FY       **Request**   **FY 2007**   **Request**
                                                                                                                        2007**                                 

  **Agriculture Programs**                                                      ** **         ** **         ** **       ** **      ** **         ** **         ** **

  Office of the                                                                 5,097         18,355        5,505       408        -12,850       8.0%          -70.0%
  Secretary\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\....                                                                                       

  Executive                                                                     166,227       85,737        59,576      -106,651   -26,161       -64.2%        -30.5%
  Operations*\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\....*..                                                                                  

  Hazardous Materials Management *\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\.....*           11,887        12,200        12,200      313        0             2.6%          0.0%

  Economic Research Service*\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\.....* 75,193        82,544        77,782      2,589      -4,762        3.4%          -5.8%

  Agriculture Research Service S&E.....................                         1,128,944     1,037,517     1,140,340   11,396     102,823       1.0%          9.9%

  Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension                           1,182,939     1,020,693     1,152,022   -30,917    131,329       -2.6%         12.9%

  Outreach to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers........                            5,940         6,930         6,930       990        0             16.7%         0.0%

  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service S and E                            851,176       954,481       879,589     28,413     -74,892       3.3%          -7.8%

  Agriculture Marketing Service.........................                        112,696       113,120       118,077     5,381      4,957         4.8%          4.4%

  Grain Inspection, Packer and Stockyards Admin...                              37,785        44,385        41,115      3,330      -3,270        8.8%          -7.4%

  Food Safety and Inspection Service...................                         892,136       930,120       930,120     37,984     0             4.3%          0.0%

  Farm Service Agency, S and E.........................                         1,030,193     1,228,662     1,127,409   97,216     -101,253      9.4%          8.2%

  Loan Subsidies............................................                    16,739        14,762        14,762      -1,977     0             -11.8%        0.0%

  Agriculture Credit Insurance Expenses...............                          311,229       319,657       318,150     6,921      -1,507        2.2%          -0.5%

  Risk Management Agency .............................                          76,658        79,062        78,833      2,175      -229          2.8%          -0.3%

  **Conservation Programs**                                                                                                                                     

  Office of the Under Secretary...........................                      742           822           781         39         -41           5.3%          -5.0%

  Conservation Operations.................................                      763,360       801,825       851,910     88,550     50,085        11.6%         6.2%

  Watershed Surveys and Planning.......................                         6,056         0             6,556       500        6,556         8.3%          \-\-\-\-\--

  Watershed and Flood and Prevention..................                          0             0             37,000      37,000     37,000        \-\-\-\-\--   \-\-\-\-\--

  Watershed Rehabilitation................................                      31,309        5,807         31,586      277        25,779        0.9%          443.9%

  Resource Conservation...................................                      51,088        14,653        52,370      1,282      37,717        2.5%          257.4%

  **Rural Development**                                                                                                                                         

  Office of the Under Secretary...........................                      632           695           666         34         -29           5.4%          -4.2%

  Rural Community Advancement Program.............                              737,135       570,491       728,807     -8,328     158,316       -1.1%         27.8%

  Salaries and Expenses (Including Transfers)..........                         161,298       208,194       175,382     14,084     -32,812       8.7%          -15.8%

  Rural Housing Loan Authorization.....................                         5,027,750     5,087,919     5,100,000   72,250     12,081        1.4%          0.2%

  Rental Assistance Program...............................                      616,020       567,000       533,020     -83,000    -33,980       -13.5%        -6.0%

  Mutual and Self-Help Housing Grants..................                         33,660        9,500         40,000      6,340      30,500        18.8%         321.1%

  Rural Housing Assistance Grants.......................                        43,603        39,000        39,000      -4,603     0             -10.6%        0.0%

  Farm Labor Program Account...........................                         32,137        9,849         46,630      14,493     36,781        45.1%         373.4%

  Rural Business‑Cooperative Loan Authorization.....                            14,927        14,485        14,485      -442       0             -3.0%         0.0%

  Rural Development Loan Fund..........................                         19,701        19,061        19,346      -355       285           -1.8%         1.5%

  Rural Cooperative Development Grants................                          26,718        20,928        29,193      2,475      8,265         9.3%          39.5%

  Rural Empowerment Zone Grants.......................                          11,088        0             11,088      0          11,088        0.0%          \-\-\--

  Renewable Energy Programs.............................                        22,841        33,941        46,000      23,159     12,059        101.4%        35.6%

  Rural Utility Loan Authorization........................                      6,079,524     4,790,000     5,290,000   -789,524   500,000       -13.0%        10.4%

  Rural Utility Loan Subsidy ...............................                    3,641         120           120         -1,999     0             -55.0%        0.0%

  Dist. Learning, Telemedicine, Broadband Loan Auth                             495,000       300,000       300,000     -195,000   0             -39.4%        0.0%

  Dist Learning and Telemedicine Loans Subsidies.....                           49,253        31,200        59,270      10,017     28,070        20.3%         90.0%

  **Domestic Food Programs**                                                                                                                                    

  Office of the Undersecretary.............................                     597           655           628         31         -27           5.2%          -4.1%

  WIC.........................................................                  5,204,430     5,386,597     5,620,000   415,570    233,403       8.0%          4.3%

  Commodity Assistance Program........................                          107,202       0             150,000     42,798     150,000       40.0%         \-\-\--

  **Foreign Assistance**                                                                                                                                       

  Foreign Agriculture Service..............................                     161,304       173,194       164,121     2,817      -9,073        1.7%          -5.2%

  McGovern-Dole Int'l School Lunch Program..........                            99,000        100,000       100,000     1,000      0             1.0%          0.0%

  PL 480 Program Appropriation...........................                       1,218,084     1,222,161     1,222,149   4,065      -12           0.3%          0.0%

  **FDA**                                                                                                                                                      

  Salaries and Expenses Including Fees....................                      1,569,244     1,635,709     1,690,709   121,465    55,000        7.7%          3.4%

  Buildings and Facilities.....................................                 4,950         4,950         4,950       0          0             0.0%          0.0%

  **Other and General Provisions**                                                                                                                             

  Commodity Future Trading Commission................                           97,981        116,000       102,550     4,569      -13,450       4.7%          -11.6%

  Hunger Fellowships.........................................                   0             0             2,475       2,475      2,475         \-\-\-\--     \-\-\-\--

  Denali Commission.........................................                    743           0             0           -743       0             -100.0%       \-\-\-\--

  Specialty Crop Grants......................................                   6,930         0             10,000      3,070      10,000        44.3%         144.3%

  Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program.......................                      0             0             21,000      21,000     21,000        \-\-\-\--     \-\-\--
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- ------------- ----------- ---------- ------------- ------------- -------------