NFU: President’s Budget Shortchanges Farm Programs for Fourth Year in a Row
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump today released his proposed spending for fiscal year 2021. The $4.8 billion budget would cut both mandatory and discretionary funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other federal agencies while boosting spending on infrastructure and defense initiatives.
In a statement, National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson said the “hypocritical” proposal overlooks the economic difficulties in farming communities:
“As both a presidential candidate and now as president, Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his appreciation for and dedication to American farmers. Yet year after year, his budget has failed to address the very real economic challenges facing rural communities. Farm debt and farm bankruptcies have skyrocketed, crop prices remain low, climate change is disrupting food production, and rural economies continue to lag behind their urban counterparts. There are a number of programs and agencies that can help farmers and rural residents with these difficulties – including the Conservation Stewardship Program, the Agricultural Research Service, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – but the Trump administration is looking to cut funding from all of them.