Congress Set to Reconcile FDA, USDA Budget for Fiscal Year 2010
The U.S. Senate has reportedly approved a fiscal year 2010 budget for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that would increase the combined funding for both agencies by 11 percent. Similar to a House of Representatives measure (H.R.2997) passed on July 9, 2009, the $125 billion appropriations bill (S. 1406) includes financial support for farm subsidies, food
safety, land conservation, and the federal food stamp program. However, the House version continues a prohibition on cooked chicken imports from China and strips out funding for a voluntary national animal identification systems (NAIS), while the Senate has outlined steps to overturn the Chinese chicken ban and would preserve one-half of the $14.6 million requested by President Barack Obama (D) for NAIS. A
House-Senate negotiating panel will meet to reconcile these differences before the bill heads to both chambers for a final vote. “These projects help to improve farm profits, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, conserve our soil and water and boost our rural economy,” Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) was quoted as saying. See Bloomberg.com, August 4, 2009; Meatingplace.com, August 5, 2009.
