Budget Proposals Suggest Cuts to Agriculture

Budget Proposals Suggest Cuts to Agriculture

I’m KayDee Gilkey with today’s Northwest Farm and Ranch Report.

There are big differences between the House and Senate budget plans that were presented last week. Representative Paul Ryan and Senator Patty Murray chairs of the House and Senator Budget Committee released their competing budget plans for next year. Ryan would cut federal budget by $4.6 trillion over 10 years. Murray’s would cut $1.9 trillion over the next decade. Ryan says his aim is to the the balance the budget. Murray says hers is to boost the economy.
American Farm Bureau economist Matt Erickson shares:
Erickson: “The big debate coming up here is going to be is balancing the budget in the next decade the best approach to bolstering the economy. That is the next wait and see game within this whole budget process and President Barack Obama is expected to finally release his budget by April 8th which is about two months late according to law.”
Erickson says that both plans take aim at agriculture. Ryan’s proposal cuts agricultural programs by $31 billion while Murray’s plan cuts them by $23 billion.
Erickson: “Of course $31 billion is greater than $23 billion. Both are quite frankly draconian cuts to agriculture and to the farm safety net and which is incredibly frustrating.”
Erickson says that frustration is because it appears that both sides of the aisle are only looking at the current situation, not the future.
Erickson: “Even though times are good for agriculture, a farm bill must be written and designed for bad times and not for the good times. Isn’t that the true definition of a safety net? So we need to keep that focus in mind when we write this farm bill.”