What is in this article?:
- The House spent nearly two days debating the FY 2012 agricultural, rural development, Food and Drug Administration and related agencies funding bill.
- The House-approved measure cuts nearly $2 billion in conservation and renewable energy funding from the government spending plans for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.
- Advocates are turning their attention to the Senate to make changes in the measure.
Retaliatory tariffs
Such a development could bring on up $800 million in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, many of them in categories other than agriculture. “They will go after everybody outside of production agriculture to get that $800 million in retaliatory tariffs,” Lucas said.
Peterson issued a statement calling the plethora of amendments to the funding bill for Agricultural, rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related agencies an “assault on U.S. agriculture.”
“We first saw it with the Ryan budget, which cut $178 billion from agriculture programs. And today, Congress approved a bill that makes disproportionate cuts to agriculture, including vital conservation and nutrition programs,” he said, referring to the work of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan.
Additionally, the bill includes an unprecedented nearly $2 billion in changes to mandatory spending, taking funds from carefully negotiated farm bill programs. Furthermore, the funds that would allow the CFTC to move ahead with financial reforms and bring about a more open and transparent derivatives market were slashed.
“I fear that if Congress continues to chip away at farm programs we will be left without an adequate safety net and the end result could potentially cost the government more money, not less.”
