President Trump Signs Funding Agreement

February 21, 2019

Last week, President Trump signed an omnibus spending package that includes funding for the FY 2019 Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Financial Services, Interior-Environment, State-Foreign Operations and Transportation-HUD, and Homeland Security appropriations bills, averting another government shutdown.

The bill provides a total of $1.011 billion for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to protect plant and animal resources from pests and diseases. This includes $62,480,000 specifically appropriated for Avian Health. The bill also provides $1.303 billion for USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to support research programs to mitigate devastating diseases and increase farm production.

The conference report also addresses the proposed relocation of USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Economic Research Service (ERS). The committee directs the Department to include all cost estimates associated with the proposed moves to be included in the FY 2020 budget request. Also, the conferees support an indefinite delay in the proposed move of ERS to the Office of the Chief Economist, as the conferees find it appropriate for ERS to remain under the Research, Education and Economics mission area.