On June 16, the House approved H.R. 2112, the fiscal year 2012 (FY 2012) agriculture appropriations bill, by a vote of 217-203. The House voted to cut nutritional assistance, conservation, and renewable energy programs significantly. Overall, the FY 2012 agriculture appropriations bill would cut $2.7 billion (13.4 percent) in annual discretionary spending from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) below current FY 2011 funding levels. These reductions, if enacted, would follow deep cuts Congress recently enacted in the USDA’s FY 2011 budget. Funding for food and agriculture programs in FY 2012 would be cut more than 25 percent below FY 2010 spending levels on average.

EESI