A broad array of agriculture groups including the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition have written to Congress asking for more funding for USDA and FDA programs in the 2018 appropriations legislation. The Coalition’s Policy Specialist Kanika Gandhi says agriculture programs haven’t been getting their fair share when it comes to federal spending.
She says in the past agriculture and mainly research programs have taken the brunt of federal funding cuts.
Gandhi says they hope to convince lawmakers to increase ag funding, due in part to what agriculture contributes to the overall economy.
In their letter, the groups asked Congress to substantially increase the discretionary budget cap for domestic programs, plus provide agriculture appropriations with a five-percent increase.
