T he Agriculture appropriations bill—formally known as the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act—funds the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), excluding the U.S. Forest Service. This includes funding for FDA and USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the two primary federal agencies responsible for overseeing the safety of the nation's food supply. In March 2018, Congress enacted the FY2018 agriculture appropriation as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 ( P.L. 115-141 , Division A). Both the House and the Senate Appropriations Committees have reported Agriculture appropriations bills for FY2019 ( H.R. 5961 , S. 2976 ). The Senate amended and passed its version as Division C of a four-bill minibus ( H.R. 6147 ). The final appropriation for FY2019 is pending, and current funding is authorized under a continuing resolution ( P.L. 115-245 ) through December 7, 2018. The enacted FY2018 appropriation and both the FY2019 House-reported bill and the Senate-passed bill include funding for food safety programs and related activities at FDA and USDA. This report provides a brief overview of the FY2018 and FY2019 appropriations that address food safety activities at FDA and FSIS. It does not specifically address funding levels for other federal agencies or other USDA agencies that may play a role in ensuring the safety of the nation's food supply. For a more general analysis of the FY2018 appropriations for agriculture, see CRS Report R45128, Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2018 Appropriations ; and for FY2019, see CRS Report R45230, Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2019 Appropriations . Numerous federal, state, and local agencies share responsibilities for regulating the safety of the U.S. food supply. Federal responsibility for food safety rests primarily with FDA and FSIS. FDA, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is responsible for ensuring the safety of the majority of all domestic and imported food products (except for meat and poultry products). FSIS, an agency at USDA, regulates most meat, poultry, and processed egg products. Roughly speaking, FSIS regulates about 10%-20% of the U.S. food supply, while FDA is responsible for the remaining 80%-90%. Combined appropriations covering food safety activities at both FDA and USDA totaled nearly $2.1 billion in FY2018, which is roughly split between the two agencies ( Figure 1 , Table 1 ). This funding distribution reflects greater increases in congressional appropriations for FDA compared with FSIS since FY2011. The enacted FY2018 appropriation for FDA's food safety activities provided $1,041.6 million. For FSIS, the FY2018 appropriation provided $1,056.8 million. Annual appropriations for FDA and USDA are augmented by existing (currently authorized) user fees. Collected user fees differ between the two agencies: At FDA, user fees authorized under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA, P.L. 111-353 ) have generated between $10 million and $20 million annually in recent years; at FSIS, authorized user fees have generated between $180 million and $250 million annually ( Figure 2 ). Staffing levels also differ between the two agencies: FSIS staff number around 9,200 full-time equivalents (FTEs), while FDA's food-related staff (whose activities extend beyond food safety) number about 3,900 FTEs ( Table 1 ). In addition to setting budgetary amounts, Agriculture appropriations bills may also include policy-related provisions that direct how the executive branch should carry out a specific appropriation. These provisions may have the force of law if they are included in the text of the appropriation, but their effect is generally limited to the fiscal year indicated. The explanatory statement that accompanies the final appropriation, and the House and the Senate report language that accompanies the committee-reported bills, may also provide policy instructions. These documents do not have the force of law but often explain congressional intent, which the agencies are expected to follow. The committee reports and explanatory statement may need to be read together to capture all of the congressional intent for a given fiscal year. According to the FY2018 Explanatory Statement, "The explanatory statement is silent on provisions that were in both the House Report ( H.Rept. 115-232 ) and Senate Report ( S.Rept. 115-131 ) that remain unchanged by this agreement, except as noted in this explanatory statement.... The House and Senate report language that is not changed by the explanatory statement is approved and indicates congressional intentions. The explanatory statement, while repeating some report language for emphasis, does not intend to negate the language referred to above unless expressly provided herein." FDA Food Safety Activities FDA's Foods Program covers the agency's food safety activities, as well as certain other food-related programs. The program plays a major food safety role, ensuring that the nation's food supply, quality of foods, food ingredients, and dietary supplements (and also cosmetic products) are safe, sanitary, nutritious, wholesome, and properly labeled. FDA's Foods Program budget accounts for roughly one-third of FDA's total appropriation. FDA's total budget for food safety programs and activities extends beyond the agency's Foods Program to encompass other food and veterinary medicine programs at FDA while also including aspects of other FDA program areas covering food additives, antimicrobial resistance, and nutrition labeling. In recent years, congressional appropriators have increased funding for FDA's Foods Program, raising funding from $837.4 million in FY2011 to $1,041.6 million in FY2018. Increased funding over this period followed the enactment of comprehensive food safety legislation in the 111 th Congress as part of FSMA. FSMA was the largest expansion of FDA's food safety authorities since the 1930s, and FDA is still actively engaged in implementing the law and its regulations. Over the past few decades, FDA has also had to adapt to the increasing variety and complexity of the U.S. food supply, including rising demand for products produced outside the United States, as well as other developments, including emerging microbial pathogens, natural toxins, and technological innovations in production and processing. Although Congress authorized funds to be appropriated in FSMA, it did not provide the full funding needed for FDA to perform these expanded activities under the law, according to FDA. Prior to enactment, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that fully implementing FSMA could increase net federal spending subject to appropriation by about $1.4 billion over a five-year period (FY2011-FY2015). This cost estimate covered activities at FDA and other federal agencies and did not include offsetting revenue from the collection of new user fees authorized under FSMA. Following FSMA's enactment, FDA officials continued to emphasize the need for additional FDA funding. Food industry groups also called for increased budget authority for FDA to fully implement FSMA, at levels requested by the Administration, in order to maintain consumer confidence. State agriculture officials and representatives of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) further pushed for full FSMA funding to support implementation by front-line state officials. Public health and consumer safety groups, as well as victims of food-borne illnesses, have also continued to call for additional food safety funding. Since FSMA became law in 2011, congressional appropriators have increased funding for the FDA Foods Program by $204.3 million—an increase of about 24% between FY2011 and FY2018—largely in an effort to support FDA's implementation of FSMA. Currently, FDA's annual appropriation to conduct its food safety oversight activities is roughly similar to that at FSIS ( Figure 1 , Table 1 ). Cumulative increases to the agency's budget authority to address food safety activities and FSMA implementation since FY2011 have totaled more than $300 million, according to FDA ( Table 2 ). FSMA also authorized an increase in FDA staff, which was expected to reach 5,000 by FY2014. With 3,900 food safety FTEs in FY2018, FDA has fallen short of the goals set forth in FSMA. Of the total amount appropriated to FDA, the enacted FY2018 act specifically provides that $1.5 million be used to conduct oversight of FDA's programs and operations by HHS's Office of Inspector General and that $1.5 million be used for FDA and USDA to coordinate public education activities regarding crop biotechnology and food and animal feed ingredients derived from biotechnology. The latter allocation originated in the House committee bill. Congressional appropriations are augmented by existing industry-paid user fees authorized by FSMA. FDA user fees include food and feed recall fees, food reinspection fees, voluntary qualified importer program fees, and fees for certain periodic activities involving reinspection, recall, and export certification. Since FSMA was enacted, these fees have generated between $10 million and $20 million annually ( Figure 2 ). The Obama Administration requested authorization of new user fees totaling nearly $170 million annually, but congressional appropriators did not accept its proposals. User fees are generally established in law by the authorizing committees and not by appropriators. Language in the enacted FDA appropriation for FY2018, along with other statements in the House and the Senate committee reports, continues to address certain FSMA implementation issues. The enacted FY2018 appropriation act states that "none of the funds made available by this or any other Act" may be used to implement FSMA requirements regarding the regulation of the production, distribution, sale, or receipt of dried spent grain byproducts of the alcoholic beverage production process. Such byproducts are often used as animal feed.