A good wrap-up of the stimulus package for agriculture from Drovers.
U.S. economic issues are garnering all the attention in Washington, D.C. The House Democrats passed a stimulus package last week, and the Senate is considering it this week.
In the House version, agriculture programs, including nutrition assistance, rural development and conservation, would receive about $27 billion, or about 3.3 percent, of the House-approved $825 billion economic stimulus package. That’s according to an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.
Republicans are criticizing the House stimulus bill because they argue it funds too many dubious programs and projects. Senate Republicans appear to be headed down that same path. President Obama wants a final bill on his desk by mid-month.
Among the agricultural programs in the package, nutrition-assistance programs account for $21 billion. Rural development programs would receive $5.1 billion, including $2.8 billion to deploy broadband technology in rural areas and $1.5 billion for rural water and waste disposal projects. USDA’s infrastructure would benefit from facilities maintenance and computer improvements totaling nearly $500 million. Conservation and watershed programs would receive $400 million.