Vilsack Answers Questions About Proposed FY2011 Budget

USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack testified before the House Appropriations Committee’s ag subcommittee last week, answering questions about various subjects including the 2011 proposed budget. Vilsack told members that USDA’s proposed budget would effectively freeze discretionary programs, though mandatory expenditures for crop insurance and nutrition assistance would increase, USAgNet reports.

Vilsack defended USDA’s latest draft proposal of the Standard Reinsurance Agreement, which calls for $6.9 billion in cuts, versus an original proposal of $8.4 billion. He also defended the Administration’s proposal to reduce the cap on direct payments by 25%, from $40,000 to $30,000, claiming that it would affect a very small percentage of farmers.

He also answered questions on animal ID, food safety, nutrition spending and other proposals. Subcommittee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) expressed concern about the USDA’s animal ID proposal and about proposed levels of funding for international food aid programs, which remained flat despite higher food prices and increased numbers of hungry people worldwide.

USDA’s budget proposals, released earlier in the month, sounded many familiar themes, but were ultimately a mixed bag, proposing to add some trade development monies and bump up funding for competitive agriculture research while also proposing to cut the cap on direct payments, lower payment eligibility limits, cut Market Access Program dollars and reduce conservation spending.