Jul 25, 2022FY23 Ag funding bill clears House
On July 20, the House passed several FY 23 spending bills together including the Agriculture Appropriations Bill. The combined bills, called a “minibus,” were approved by a vote of 220-207.
“We appreciate the hard work of the House Appropriations Committee that ensured key potato industry priorities are part of this spending bill,” said Jared Balcom, NPC 2022 president. “We are urging the Senate to maintain or enhance these provisions in their version of the bill.”
The minibus includes priorities from February’s NPC Washington Summit, including: $3 million for the FY23 NIFA potato breeding special research grant; language that once again prohibits USDA from limiting potato access to the school breakfast program; and SCRI match waiver language for public institutions.
The overall combined spending package totals $405 billion and also includes the Energy-Water, Transportation-HUD, Interior-Environment, Financial Services, and Military Construction-VA measures.
The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to release its spending bills online before August recess. The federal fiscal year ends on September 30, but with the election looming it is unlikely that Congress will complete its work by then. Therefore, at least one short term “continuing resolution” may be necessary to keep the federal government operating beyond October 1.
