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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURESince 2001, the Administration:
The President’s 2008 Budget:
FOCUSING ON THE NATION’S PRIORITIESReauthorizing the Farm BillThe Administration is proposing changes to the current farm bill that will ensure the continuation of a strong farm economy and conservation programs that protect America's natural resources. The proposed changes will also provide support to programs that assist in the creation, expansion, and maintenance of foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products. In addition, the proposal encourages future growth in agriculture by reducing barriers for the next generation of farmers and ranchers. Protecting America
Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative. The President’s Budget provides $341 million to continue efforts to protect the Nation’s food supply and agriculture from threats, whether intentional or unintentional, by enhancing the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) ability to detect, respond to and recover from incidents of disease, pest, or poisonous agents. The Budget includes additional funds to begin efforts to build a consolidated poultry research and biocontainment facility in Georgia and support research on food safety and emerging and exotic diseases. Avian Influenza. The impact of an avian influenza pandemic on animals and the potential spread to the human population is a serious concern of the Administration. USDA plays an important role in preventing and responding to an infestation. The 2008 Budget includes $57 million for USDA activities, such as domestic surveillance and diagnostics, emergency preparedness and response, and technical assistance to other countries. Developing Sustainable ForestsForest Planning Rule. The Budget supports a new, more effective policy for forest planning that employs an Environmental Management System to improve performance and accountability and which is compliant with the National Environmental Policy Act. Healthy Forests. Under the President’s Healthy Forests Initiative and actions to implement the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, more than 15 million acres have been treated to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires. The 2008 Budget builds on this success by providing $291 million for hazardous fuels reduction projects, a more than four-fold increase since 2000. USDA will also implement recommendations to improve performance and focus on treating areas that provide the best improvement in forest and rangeland health. Northwest Forest Plan. The Northwest Forest Plan is an integrated, comprehensive design for ecosystem management, intergovernmental and public collaboration, and rural community economic assistance involving nearly 25 million acres of Federal forests in western Oregon, Washington, and northern California. The Budget allows the Forest Service to offer the Plan’s goal of 800 million board feet of timber in 2008. Improving Cooperative ConservationSince 2001, USDA’s programs have been the strongest producer of conservation on working agricultural lands. The 2008 Budget continues USDA’s record through all farm bill programs, particularly by fully funding the Wetlands Reserve Program (for a total of about $455 million) to achieve the program’s full acreage enrollment goal of 2.275 million acres as authorized in the 2002 farm bill. Promoting Nutrition Assistance ProgramsAs part of the Food Stamp program reauthorization, the Budget removes a barrier for low-income people to save by proposing to exclude all retirement and education savings accounts when determining household eligibility. The 2008 Budget also improves the integrity of the Food Stamp program by tightening overly broad waivers from eligibility criteria, and supports the families of the Nation’s servicemen and women by ensuring that they do not lose food stamps due to combat-related military pay. The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to enact these proposals and other measures to modernize the Food Stamp program. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, more commonly known as WIC, serves the nutritional needs of low-income pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children up to their fifth birthday. The Budget provides $5.4 billion for WIC services, funding an estimated 8.3 million beneficiaries in 2008. To address the rising costs of WIC administration, the President’s Budget proposes to cap nutrition services and administrative funding at 2006 levels. In keeping with the Administration’s promotion of childhood wellness and fitness, the Department is issuing updated WIC food packages that reduce maximum allowances of certain foods and increase the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. The 2008 Budget eliminates funding for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), which, in the limited areas where it is available, duplicates two of the Nation’s largest Federal nutrition assistance programs—Food Stamps and WIC. The Budget provides funding to serve all eligible individuals who seek services from WIC and funds temporary benefits and outreach to help elderly households transition from CSFP to the Food Stamp program. Assisting with Provincial ReconstructionUSDA participates in the Provincial Reconstruction Teams to bring agriculture, conservation, and rural development expertise to the reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The $12.5 million included in the Budget will allow USDA to leverage the skills of a wide assortment of disciplines. Encouraging Development in Rural AreasDeveloping Renewable Energy. USDA is proposing an additional $20 million for research to develop new feedstocks for energy production on a region-by-region basis to help meet future energy demands. In total, the Department will provide $395 million in financial assistance to rural businesses and producers to develop and use renewable energy systems. Supporting Housing for Rural Residents. The Budget proposes to increase opportunities for homeownership by increasing the loan level for USDA’s single family housing guarantees to $4.8 billion. The 2008 Budget proposes to replace the direct single family housing loan program with this increase to the single family housing loan guarantee program. Utilizing the private banking industry to provide mortgage credit, guaranteed by the Federal Government, is a more efficient way to deliver mortgage credit. Revitalization of USDA’s portfolio of the multifamily housing program to preserve projects and protect tenants remains a key initiative. The President’s Budget includes $28 million for a voucher program for displaced tenants when USDA-financed properties are paid-off. In addition, the Administration continues to work toward the enactment of legislation to authorize debt restructuring and other incentives for project sponsors to repair and rehabilitate their projects.
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