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President Obama has submitted his Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 budget proposal to Congress, suggesting that while the Administration will pursue many priorities, it will work to limit discretionary spending this year, and in years to come.
In budget briefings Feb. 1, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said that there were three primary factors that directed the development of the USDA’s budget. First, he said that recognizing that families are struggling, the budget had to both provide for programs needed by families, such as strong funding for nutrition assistance programs, and had to make tough decisions regarding what other programs would have to be lower priorities this year. Secondly, the condition of rural America calls for a renewed effort for a “new economy” in rural areas. Fifty percent of rural counties have lost population since the 2000 census. Aging populations and fewer college educated young people remaining in rural areas has created a situation in which there are both higher poverty and higher unemployment rates in rural areas. Finally, the federal budget cannot sustain deficits of $1.6 trillion, so some reductions need to be made, and some programs need to be reassessed.
USDA budget overview
The FY 2011 USDA budget request is for a total of $149 billion, an increase of $14 billion over FY 2010. Eighty percent of the USDA budget stems from mandatory programs including most nutrition assistance programs and farm support programs. In FY 2011, mandatory spending will increase to $123 billion, up from $108 billion in FY 2010. The Administration proposes that in FY 2011 discretionary spending will drop from $27 billion enacted in FY 2010 to $26 billion in FY 2011.
According to the USDA, 70% of all spending in FY 2011 will be for nutrition programs—primarily the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. The rest will be allotted as follows: 17% for Farm and Commodity Programs; 7% for Conservation and Forestry Programs; and the remaining 6% includes Rural Development, Research, Food Safety, and Marketing and Regulatory programs.
The Strategic Goals presented within the budget request include:
- Help America promote agricultural production and biotechnology exports as America works to increase food security;
- Ensure that all of America’s children have access to safe, nutritious, and balanced meals;
- Assist rural communities to create prosperity so they are self-sustaining, repopulating, and economically thriving;
- Ensure that our national forests and private working lands are conserved, restored, and made more resilient to climate change, while enhancing our water resources.
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