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Trump 2020 budget calls for USDA cuts

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson says President Trump’s 2020 budget proposal released today continues the administration’s disturbing trend of neglect for the welfare of farm families across the U.S. Trump’s budget contains proposed cuts to the USDA and other federal agencies in order to increase spending on a proposed border wall and defense programs. 

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue defends Trump’s budget saying it’s fiscally conservative at a time when the economy is booming and unemployment is the lowest in decades. While agriculture still faces challenges, Perdue says the U.S. will maintain a safety net for farmers, ranchers, foresters, producers, and families who need food assistance.

Johnson says “There is a very clear disconnect between President Trump’s priorities and the economic realities facing family farmers, ranchers, and rural communities” with additional damages from self-inflicted trade disruptions, increasing demand for credit. President Trump’s proposed budget released Monday has a proposed 15% USDA cut, but crop insurance and Commodity Credit Corporation funding would increase.

The Ranking Member of the Senate Ag Committee says she’s concerned about Trump’s proposed 15 percent cuts to the USDA budget, on top of cutting farm bill investments by $267 billion in the next fiscal year.

Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat, says the steep cuts to USDA would jeopardize the Department’s ability to implement the farm bill at a time when farmers are struggling with economic instability and trade uncertainty.

A White House document shows areas where President Trump is proposing to cut USDA spending.  The budget proposal would limit ag commodity payments and crop insurance eligibility to farmers with less than 500-thousand dollars in adjusted gross income.  The plan would also limit crop insurance premium subsidies.

Trump also proposed capping crop insurance underwriting gains, establishing user fees for the Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.  User fees would also begin for the Agricultural Marketing Service and the Packers and Stockyards Program. 

The White House also proposes eliminating some programs as part of its 15% USDA budget cut.  The Rural Economic Development Program, interest payments to utilities, and lower-priority farm bill programs are on the President’s chopping block.

Many of Trump’s proposals have been defeated by Congress before and are seeing opposition within his own party now.  Senate Ag Committee Chairman Pat Roberts says the 2018 Farm Bill provided certainty and predictability to farmers and ranchers and now is not the time to be making changes to the vital risk management tools that are essential to producers.