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To Members of the NASULGC System:
This week the Senate is considering legislation to effect $39
billion in cuts to mandatory spending programs over the next
five years, in compliance with the F.Y. 2006 congressional
budget resolution. Next week the House is scheduled to consider
its $50 billion version of the budget reconciliation measure.
As you know, the 2002 Farm Bill provided funding for the
Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS) of
$160 million in F.Y. 2006 and $200 million annually thereafter.
While funds for IFAFS have not been allowed to be spent for this
program in recent years, the IFAFS budget "baseline" serves as
an important source of funding for other important agriculture
research initiatives.
Earlier this year, it became clear that the IFAFS program was
likely to be a target for being zeroed out as part of the budget
reconciliation process. In response, leaders of the Budget and
Advocacy Committee (BAC) worked with The BRT to urge key Members
of Congress to protect the IFAFS budget baseline.
Initially, the House Agriculture Committee's reconciliation
proposal reportedly would have achieved about $970 million in
savings by zeroing out the IFAFS program altogether. After
protests regarding the IFAFS cuts and other issues, the
committee scaled back the IFAFS cuts to $620 million by zeroing
out the program in fiscal years 2007 through 2009. The IFAFS
funding baseline would be preserved at $200 million in F.Y. 2010
and thereafter.
The Senate Agriculture Committee's reconciliation proposal would
reduce IFAFS funding by $336 million over the next five years,
by reducing funding to $104 million in F.Y. 2006, and to $130
million in each of fiscal years 2007 through 2010. Under the
Senate proposal, the IFAFS funding baseline would be preserved
at $200 million in F.Y. 2011 and thereafter.
A table summarizing the year-to-year current IFAFS funding, and
funding under the House and Senate budget reconciliation
proposals follows for your information:
| IFAFS Level ($millions) |
FY'06 |
FY'07 |
FY'08 |
FY'09 |
FY'10 |
FY'11+ |
| Current Law |
160 |
200 |
200 |
200 |
200 |
200 |
| House Reconciliation |
160 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
200 |
200 |
| Senate Reconciliation |
104 |
130 |
130 |
130 |
130 |
200 |
The House and Senate Agriculture reconciliation proposals include
reductions in commodity, conservation, nutrition, rural
development, energy, and agriculture research programs over the
next five years. The specifics of these program cuts, including
the agriculture research cuts, will change as the measure moves
through the legislative process.
The BRT and the BAC will continue to monitor this situation and
will keep you apprised of developments in the weeks ahead.
Fred J. Clark
Cornerstone Government Affairs
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