House passes spending bill; here's what's in it for ag - Entrepreneur Generations

Tuesday the House of Representatives passed a $1.4 trillion appropriations bill for 2020. It's expected to clear the Senate and President Trump is expected to sign it by Friday, averting a government shutdown. Here's some of what's in the bill, according to Ryan McCrimmon of Politico's Morning Agriculture.

• $23.4 billion in discretionary funding for food and farm programs in the Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration.
• An extra $1.5 billion in aid for farmers and ranchers affected by this year's extreme weather. The aid will also help sugar beet growers in the Upper Midwest who are facing a bad harvest.
• House Democrats wanted language in the bill that would stop the USDA from moving the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture from Washington D.C. to Kansas City, but the final bill only includes a provision barring the USDA from reorganizing its agencies from one branch of the department to another. 
• A provision that would bar the use of federal funds to block interstate transportation of hemp or interfere with the processing, sales or use of legally grown hemp.
• A revival of the biodiesel tax credit, including ethanol, which expired in 2017, for five years, retroactive to 2018.
• The bill includes language ordering the Interior Department to provide more information and transparency about its relocation of the Bureau of Land Management headquarters.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2M94fZ1 House passes spending bill; here's what's in it for ag - Entrepreneur Generations

Posted by Entrepreneur Generations

Tweet