Washington Update: Budget, Debt a Farm Bill TRQ Adjustments USDA WASDE April Report on US Sugar Supply and Use

摘要

Washington's political leadership reached an agreement in early April to fund government agencies and programs for the remainder of the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011. The final vote occurred after Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released a budget blueprint governing spending in the next fiscal year (FY2012) that would reduce total government spending over 10 years by 6.2 trillion, including a reduction in the agricultural baseline of over 177 billion over 10 years (30 billion for commodity programs, nearly 20 billion for conservation programs, and 127 billion for supplemental nutrition assistance programs (SNAP - formerly the food stamps program. The resolution would turn this into a block grant program for the states). The package would cut agricultural spending by 23 percent while averaging a 14 percent cut among other non-defense programs.