Fiscal Year 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill
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Speaker 1
Okay. Let me now recognize, my dear friend, a person who, while we have disagreements, is honorable. She's tough, but she's honorable. She's straightforward. And it's a privilege to work with my ranking member, Miss Lois Frankel Afforda.
Speaker 2
Thank you very much. It is an honor to serve as a ranking member of this committee. And I agree, I just wanna say this. I'm gonna offer a little bit of different analysis. We do agree on many things, and disagree on some.
But I do appreciate what's been a bipartisan history of this committee. And this is really, I think this is a really good committee. And we were able to reach a good agreement, best we could last year. I'm gonna also thank you to the majority staff, our staff here, the democratic staff, fantastic. To my ranking member, our chairman of the committee who you, Mr.
Cole, thank you so much for your professionalism and your courtesy. It's really a pleasure to work with you and, of course, all the members. All right. So before I get into the details of this f '27 National Security and Department of State bill, I wanna go over the here and now because it is somewhat concerning, even frightening. Because we are considering this bill against a backdrop of last year's reckless and careless dismantling of USAID, the cancellation of billions of dollars in essential programs, the firing of hundreds of dedicated public servants, and reports that this resulted in millions, not a few, but millions of deaths due to disease and starvation.
And now I think we worry a hollowed out state department lacks the capacity, expertise, and, frankly, the will to carry out the development and humanitarian programs that it was never built to manage. And I hope we can get more information on that as we go along. Programs that Congress directed and funded support for women's leadership and economic empowerment, peace building, water sanitation, food security, and family planning are being ignored. We are failing in our efforts to stop the spread of disease. Right now, as we sit here, the administration is withholding the funding from the GAVI organization that protects children around the world from malaria, polio, yellow fever, and more, and that has prevented more than 20 million deaths since 2000.
We appropriated $600,000,000 on a bipartisan basis in the last two years. Not one single dollar has been released because it's been held up by this anti vaccine obsession of RFK. What is he butting into the State Department with his nonsense? And as a result, we've actually even lost our seat at Gabi's board. We have been on another note, we've been strong-arming partners into signing global health agreements, including holding funding hostage due to unrelated demands like transactional demands like, we need your critical minerals if you want this money.
And although we are claiming that programs at Petfar are up and running, lifesaving medication to prevention service remain out of reach, especially for girls. This is also very troubling. And we're witnessing a sweeping and deadly expansion of the Mexico City policy now applied across almost all nonmilitary assistance and all partners, taking a disastrous policy and expanding it in so-called diversity and inclusion, LGBT services, and gender ideology. The administration is also using our funding, this committee, to advance a very twisted immigration agenda. For example, we're hearing reports that more than a thousand Afghan allies, people who risk their lives to support US forces, including my son who served in Afghanistan, not to make it too personal, are currently supported by the state department and now being forced to choose between returning to Afghanistan or relocating to the Democratic Republic Of Congo, a country that's facing its own humanitarian crisis.
And every single day, there was a new story about the United States coercing countries to accept third-party deportees. According to a senate report, the US spent $32,000,000 that we appropriated in this bill in payments to foreign governments with records of corruption and human rights abuses, such as Equatorial Guinea and El Salvador, to take deportees who have no relationship to these countries. And in the middle of this chaos, it's disconcerting that we are marking up our bill without a single hearing with the secretary of state and without assurance that this administration is actually effectively spending the funds that we've already provided. Alright. So now getting on to the bill.
I know that you were waiting for that. I had to listen to you.
Speaker 2
He is a lot more dramatic, I will admit. You know, this is a bill that's supposed to project American leadership through diplomacy, development, and humanitarian aid, but instead it's pulling back at exactly the wrong time. After four years of cuts totaling over 14,000,000,000, a staggering 23%, this bill does another cut of a little under 3,000,000,000. And at the same time, President Trump is requesting billions of dollars more for war. And I wanna be clear, we cannot bomb our way to lasting peace, security, and prosperity.
And I've said this before, I'm gonna say it again. And I know there are gentlemen and maybe some women who have served in the military. Thank you for that. My son was served in the marines, was deployed to two wars, and I know it's important for the military to remain strong. But bombs and drones, response to threats, they do not prevent them.
Soft power does, and that's what this committee is about. Diplomacy prevents costly and deadly war. Global health pro programs stop outbreaks before they reach our shores. Food aid and development programs reduce desperation that fuels extremism and migration. Alliances ensure we do not face threats alone, and this bill walks away from that strategy.
It eliminates funding for the United States and UN peacekeeping at a time when participation in multilateral organizations could not be more important. It closed back 1 billion dollars in humanitarian assistance at a time of widespread crisis and conflict and migration in Sudan, Ukraine, and the Middle East, where the latest regional war makes matters worse. This bill prohibits funding for UNFPA, cuts family planning, and reinstates an expanded global role, threatening the health and women globally and shattering their chances for success. It zeros out funding for strategic soft power tools like the US Institute of Peace, the Inter American Foundation, and the US African Development Foundation. And it does nothing to help our already short-staffed diplomats, global health experts, and humanitarian responders while they're forced to do more with less.
This is not leadership. It's reckless and makes us less safe. Because when we retreat from soft power, and I know that we have members on this committee who know this well, we create vacuums, and our adversaries, like China, are already filling them. This should not be a choice between strength and restraint. It's about being smart and strong.
Security at home is only possible with effective, robust engagement abroad, as well as, our ranking member made yesterday, our own domestic funding, which we're not talking about today. If we want a safer America and a safer world, we need both. We need the strength of our military and the power of our leadership. This bill fails that test. We can and we must do better.
I do believe that we will do better, but in the meantime, as this is written, I'll be a no. Is that a surprise? Okay. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Thank to my dear friend. And I do. I we have a great working relationship. I'm now honored to recognize the remarkable leader of the full committee, the distinguished chairman of the committee, Mister Cole, for your remarks, sir. You're recognized.
Speaker 3
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I'm gonna make a couple of unscripted. This always bothers my press secretary. Unscripted and author the grid sort of remarks, and then I'll move to my formal things. First of all, I wanna tell all of you on both sides of the committee, and particularly you and the ranking member, how much. I watch all these committees very carefully.
And whether we can get anything done really depends on the relationship between the chairman and the ranking member. And the two of you have a wonderful relationship and a productive one where you can differ and stay friends and try to find the areas that in common we can go forward. If we have differences, that's fair enough. And, you know, mister chairman and ranking member, as I'm watching and listening to your opening remarks, I'm looking around the room, and people are smiling and laughing. Because that means coming to work in this subcommittee is something they enjoy doing and feel is very valuable.
So that's a reflection on both of you and a credit to you. Now, Miss Mister Chairman, anytime I hear you talking, I always think about the Appropriations Committee. I think, well, you know, we kind of run on three things. When we're meeting, we run on Cuban coffee. When we're done with the meetings and we're evaluating what happened, what to do next, we do that over cigars and bourbon.
And I wanna thank you for participating robustly in two of those three. But it's true. I mean, the committee has to have a culture as well as you just operate by things, and the two of you, you know, help make this a good and productive culture. Second, I remember when you became chairman of this committee, Mr. Chairman, and you changed the name. I remember thinking, okay.
Well, you know, SFOPS has been around a long time, but the change you made reflected the changes you've made inside this committee. You know, it has become much sharper and more focused in terms of working with our friends and, frankly, confronting our adversaries. So that change has been, I think, an important one, and I think it reflects an American first point of view. That doesn't mean America alone. That doesn't mean America not up, but it does mean putting our own interests first and those of our allies, and understanding who our friends in the world are and who simply is not our friend and not going to be our friend, but is certainly going to take advantage of our generosity when and if they can.
And you've reminded us of that. You've also added a focus that we have not had for a long time on the Western Hemisphere. And this is our neighborhood. And honestly, this is the history of home of many of our own people from other parts of this hemisphere. And knowing that their interest in this country, but beyond this country, in their former home is important.
It's not interests are not just Eurocentric anymore. And they're not just in the Indo Pacific because we have a challenge in the Indo Pacific, a great power challenge. It's in our neighborhood with what's happening in places like Cuba and Venezuela, and trying to play a constructive role in those areas. So I just want to thank you. I think you've been a genuinely historic chairman of an important subcommittee.
We're usually absorbed much more with domestic affairs than we are internationally, and you've shifted the focus of the country, you and the ranking member, you know, in ways that are very productive to the interests of The United States. So thank you for that. Now back to the formal remarks. I wanna thank Chairman Diaz Ballard and thank the ranking member. Certainly, my good friend, ranking member Dolores, and all the members of this subcommittee for being here this morning.
Our work on today's fiscal year 2027 National Security Department of State and related programs appropriations bill is a critical step toward further strengthening America's leadership on the world stage while upholding fiscal discipline. This legislation reflects a clear-eyed and unapologetic approach to our security and diplomacy efforts. It leaves no doubt that The United States will lead with purpose and strength at home and abroad, because America first does not mean America alone. The measure reinforces support for key allies, while sharpening our overall focus. I wanna pause there and tell you.
And, the ranking member of the full committee and I have traveled, together in places where the influence of this committee, Jordan and Egypt and Saudi Arabia, is really felt and really appreciated. And the changes that the two of you have made in terms of assuring critical allies that we will be there with them, you know, was really reflected in the ranking members I visited, which was on the eve of an election and was meant to project the idea of whatever our domestic differences. We work together in terms of advancing critical interests around what you have done on this subcommittee, and that's to your credit and your distinguished staff's credit and your members. So, again, this reinforces support for our allies. We put American values into action by defending human rights, protecting religious liberty, and maintaining long-standing pro-life safeguards.
Just as importantly, it cuts off ineffective and misaligned programs, investing only in high-impact missions that strengthen our security, economy, and global standing. Freedom and democracy are not just ideals. They are priorities we actively defend through this legislation. Chairman Diaz Ballard has proven that when we move away from unfocused spending and toward a targeted strategy, American leadership is stronger and more effective. So I want to thank him.
I wanna thank his distinguished ranking member and the majority and minority staff for their work on this bill. It's an exceptional piece of work, and I look forward to his consideration. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Speaker 1
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Look. So many people in the press and others were saying that the FY '26 bills were never gonna get done, and it was because of the leadership of mister Cole and the distinguished ranking member who I'm gonna recognize. Now I've said that, yes, sir. To both.
Speaker 1
Privately, and I will say it again publicly. So it's just a privilege to recognize the distinguished ranking member of the full committee, Mister Laurel, for her statement.
Speaker 5
Thank you very much, mister chairman. And I thank you and ranking member Frankel and the chair of the full committee, mister Cole, who indeed is a good friend. And it was a great trip. And I note in this bill that there in regional efforts, they've and applaud what we're doing with regard, as I say, that particularly to Jordan, which is a very fragile economy. And we have maintained our commitment to Jordan.
And I applaud you all for that. Let me also say a thank you to the subcommittee staff, Erin Kolodjewski at Edscorn, Lori McNone on the minority side, and counterparts on the majority side. Thank you all for your very hard work. I will be nothing but frank about my views on the bill. I think there's not, you know, what you anticipate.
This bill continues the Trump administration's, my view, abdication of American global leadership. It cuts humanitarian assistance. It slashes global health programs. It reneges on our commitments to our partners, and it surrenders our global influence to our adversaries. Since he took office, President Trump has stumbled from one self-created international crisis to another.
He dismantled much of our foreign policy and development infrastructure, leaving partners scrambling, and our diplomats already stretched too thin, struggling to explain why The United States would abandon its commitments. He began a trade war with our closest allies, raising prices for American consumers, and isolating us on an international stage. I would just say that the president has made enemies out of our good friends and our allies. He dismantled USAID, severing lifelines of food and medical aid around the world, and leading to a catastrophic death toll around the world. That's when my colleague, the ranking member of the subcommittee, talks about soft power.
When you go abroad, where all of you have, and, you know, being in Israel and going to some of the Palestinian areas, and you see a bag of flour that says USAID. Now the letters are gonna be in Chinese or it's gonna be from the Soviet Union, from Russia. There's no longer a Soviet Union. That's a bit soft power is what connects us with the rest of the world. He openly threatened to invade Greenland, a threat which our closest NATO allies took so seriously that they made physical preparations to defend against the US military operation.
He has made a policy of extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean and Pacific, blowing up fishing boats and then accusing the people he killed of smuggling drugs while presenting no evidence. And he started a war with Iran. It's a war of choice and not necessity that has sent gas prices skyrocketing by 40% and has no discernible objective, no strategic vision, and no end in sight. The Trump doctrine is failure followed by failure, alienating our allies while aiding our adversaries. This bill continues that pattern.
This bill does not provide any funding for the UN regular budget, abandoning one of the longest-standing institutions devoted to global peace. A number of members on this committee went to New York, to the UN, and met with the ambassador not long ago. The ambassador told us how important US participation is to the success of the UN and the mission of the UN. And we have abandoned that. And I'll just point out UNICEF.
My god, UNICEF. It's about the millions of children around the world that, in fact, we will abandon. Undermining the UN only erodes our global influence. It also short changes American businesses who receive upwards of $2,100,000,000 in UN contracts, which is more than our dues. I just have to reinforce what the ranking member said about the GAVI vaccine alliance.
We appropriated $600,000,000. And what's happened there, for your knowledge, is that where this is a state foreign operations issue, it has been punted over to HHS under the jurisdiction of Robert Kennedy Jr., who was an anti vaxxer. So the money is being held up to provide vaccines to, again, millions of children around the world. And HHS has no jurisdiction over this. And for this subcommittee, we ought to reclaim that jurisdiction and appropriate that money in the way that Republicans and Democrats said it should be spent.
This bill cuts funding for global health programs, particularly in the areas of reproductive health and global health security, making us more vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks that originate abroad. Pandemics do not respect international borders. It is in our best interest to prevent, contain them before they reach our shores, but these cuts impede our ability to do that. The bill threatens women's health around the globe, blocking any funds from going to the UN Population Fund. UNFPA is dedicated to reducing maternal mortality, including working to eliminate obstetric fistula, an issue I care deeply about.
Preventing gender-based violence, extending family planning to women and girls everywhere. By failing to provide any funding for the UNFPA, the conditions under which millions of women around the world live will only become worse. And eliminating this funding is a moral failure. The bill also eliminates all funding for the US Institute for Peace, the Inter-American Foundation, and the US African Development Foundation. Each of these programs strengthens our influence abroad, enables us to prevent crises before they arise, and builds relationships with the next generation of global leaders.
Taken together, the cuts in this bill surrender a great deal of global influence to our adversaries. For every step backwards we take on a world stage, they take a step forward. Continually defunding the institutions that support America's international presence will have serious and lasting consequences. In little more than a year, the Trump administration has squandered decades of American global influence. This bill hinders our ability to reclaim any of it for years to come.
It is remarkable the distance between how much we are willing to devote to war and how little we can spare for peace. I encourage my colleagues to oppose this bill, work with the Democrats. Let's craft a funding bill that strengthens American international leadership, not weakens it. Thank you, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
I thank the distinguished ranking member. Any other members wish to make opening remarks, Mr. Quigley? Actually, Miss Meng. I'm sorry. Let me recognize Miss Meng first.
You're recognized.
Speaker 6
Thank you, Chair De Esberard and Ranking Member Frankel. My constituents in Queens are facing an affordability crisis. Instead of addressing it, the president cut taxes for billionaires and is now proposing we spend $1.5 trillion on our military budget paid for with cuts to health care and food assistance programs that help working Americans. He even said the other day, quote, it's not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. We have to take care of one thing, military protection.
Mister chairman, I don't think we need a $1,500,000,000,000 military budget. I certainly don't think we should be cutting health care, food assistance, and our national security budget to pay for it. In fact, it may shock my constituents to learn that according to estimates, we have likely spent more on the Iran war over 40 days than this bill proposes that we spend on programs that prevent war over the course of a whole year. This bill proposes a 6% cut to our national security budget, further cementing America's retreat from the world, while ceding ground to our adversaries and threatening our national security. It would also rescind an additional $1,000,000,000 in life-saving humanitarian aid.
According to estimates, existing aid cuts, including the destruction of USAID, have already led to more than 760,000 preventable deaths and are projected to cause up to 23 million preventable deaths by 2030. After this administration's attacks on birth control, this bill would further harm the world's women and girls by cutting lifesaving international family-planning programs. I'm also deeply troubled that this bill further entrenches the administration's new expanded global gag rules, which treat women, minority communities, and LGBTQ+ communities like America's enemies. These communities look to America as a beacon for freedom and human rights, while our worst adversaries target and repress them. We should not do their bidding.
We can't cut programs that keep people healthy, safe, and fed to prioritize a military budget that has already received record funding. For these reasons and others, I cannot support this bill as written. I hope we will work to improve it through the markup process. Thank you, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
Thank you so much. Any other member that wishes to make opening remarks? Okay. Miss Torres.
Speaker 7
Thank you, chairman. In this subcommittee, we have always known that America alone is not America first. But we see in President Trump's budget money for war, but not for peace. And I see in our bill a choice to put isolation over influence, and chaos over the rule of law. We have a war spiraling out of control, with no end in sight.
And in this subcommittee, we have an opportunity to fund peace. It is an opportunity to fund partnerships, an opportunity to fund economic growth, and safety that will help America for a generation. But the bill before us fails to fund key international commitments, including the UN general budget. If we don't pay our dues, if we don't take our seat at the table and demand it, the global conversation goes on without us. This is what the UN ambassador told us.
We open the door and surrender our influence to China and Russia at international organizations. That's not strength. That's a surrender. This bill fails to put the US Institute for Peace, a self-explanatory name, as a priority. As someone who has spent a career fighting for accountability in the Northern Triangle, I am disappointed by the strategic blindness in this text.
This bill completely defunds the international, the Inter-American Foundation. We should be talking about results, not rhetoric. In El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, the IAF guarantees grantees successfully reduce youth participation in narco trafficking, criminal activity, and migration. One program alone successfully reduced criminal activity among participants by 90%, a proven cost effective defense against the migration and crime we claim to want to stop. Eradicating the programs that reduce narco trafficking while this administration pardons and releases convicted narco trafficker and former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, convicted, by the way, by a jury of Americans, is a complete slap in the face to our constituents who've lost loved ones to addiction.
To my colleagues across the aisle, American businesses are coming to us behind closed doors because they're terrified. They cannot invest in a hemisphere where the rule of law is a suggestion, and where an attorney general can weaponize a personal vendetta into a criminal trial, as is the case in Guatemala. The bill says it focuses on Latin America, but I find the Latin America section deeply disappointing. We need a bill that fights corruption, upholds the rule of law, and includes in the bill important limits on funds to ensure that we are not turning over taxpayer dollars to corrupt individuals, and the provisions that were once bipartisan and championed by Senator Rubio. This is what he worked on and that I worked on with him.
Without these safeguards, we are essentially asking American taxpayers to write a blank check to corrupt autocrats who view our foreign aid as a personal slush fund. Chairman, this bill abandons the values that we've spent decades building in a bipartisan way. Provisions that were standard last year, provisions that should endure regardless of who holds power. We have been, they have been stripped out without justification. It leaves our embassies understaffed, our partners abandoned, and our borders more vulnerable by gutting the programs that address the root causes of instability.
I can't support the bill that compromises our national security and our moral standing. And I oppose this measure, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
Thank you so much. Anybody else would like to be recognized? Mister Quigley, you're recognized, sir.
Speaker 8
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You know, I know most of you, traveled with many of you. Mister Edwards and I traveled to Ukraine in a most enlightening trip. Mister chairman, you and I have been to Poland, to the islands, Dominican Republic, across the world. I'm starting to think that we are witnessing the same things, but we're seeing something different.
We all grew up with the notion of I'll believe it when I see it. I'm starting to think it's now I'll see it when I believe it, that we react so differently to what's happening here that it's almost frightening. So I think the sense of isolationism, the cooling and withdrawal from NATO, issues with USAID, have already been pointed out, terrifying our friends. Canadian tourism to the United States has just plummeted in Chicago and everywhere. It's if we can't get along with Canada, who are we going to get along with?
And I'm sure the people of Ukraine don't feel particularly warm and fuzzy with us. So maybe it's time to look back at someone who had the greatest perspective of understanding our place in the world when it mattered most. And my favorite presidential speeches were always the shortest ones. Right? Lincoln at Gettysburg.
Who remembers who Edward Everett was? Because he spoke for two hours there. But FDR's last inaugural was at the White House at the South Portico, and he only spoke for six minutes, 556 words. But I think he captured the essence of this moment as well as he captured the essence of that time and all he had been through with the isolationists. He reminded us that we have learned that we can't live alone at peace, and that our own well-being is dependent on the well-being of other nations far away.
We must live as men, not ostriches, and that we have learned to be citizens of the world, members of the human community. And finally, he quoted Emerson by saying, the only way to have a friend is to be one. I'm not sure we have many friends. Having served on the intel committee for 9 years now, I will tell you the smallest countries in the world are invaluable to us. And that synergy, that relationship is so important, while seemingly unimportant when we think of, well, we're gonna prioritize each of these dollars.
We remind what secretary Mattis said, If you cut the state department, you better buy me more bullets. I don't think we can buy enough bullets to keep ourselves safe if we are indeed ostriches in the world. Thank you.
Speaker 1
I wanna thank the gentleman. Anyone else have an opening statement? Seeing nobody else, also seeing no amendments. At this time then, I would recognize the distinguished vice chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Edwards, for the purpose of making a motion.
Speaker 4
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move the bill be favorably reported to the full committee.
Speaker 1
The question is on the motion. Those in favor will signify by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed, no. No.
The call is recorded. The ayes have it. Recorded vote has been requested. All those in favor, please raise your hand for the recorded vote. Raise your hand for a recorded vote.
Thank you. Sufficient number. I
Speaker 1
Sufficient number of hands. The clerk will record a vote has been ordered. The clerk will call the roll.
Speaker 9
Mister Alford? Aye. Mister Alford, aye. Mister Siscamani? Aye.
Mister Siscamani, aye. Mister Diaz-Bollart? Aye. Mister Diaz Bollart, aye. Mister Edwards?
Aye. Mister Edwards, aye. Miss Frankel? No. Miss Frankel, no.
Miss Letlow? Aye. Miss Letlow, aye. Miss Meng? No.
Miss Meng, no. Mister Mullinar? Aye. Mister Mullinar, aye. Mister Quigley?
No. Mister Quigley, no. Mister Russenthaler? Mister Russienthaler, aye. Miss Torres?
Speaker 9
Miss Torres, no. Mister Cole? Aye. Mister Cole, aye. Miss Deloro?
No. Mister Miss Deloro, no. Does
Speaker 1
Any member wish to record their vote that has not or change their vote? The clerk will tally. On this vote, the a's are 8. The no's are 5. The bill is favorably reported to full committee.
I ask unanimous consent that the staff be permitted to make technical and conforming changes to the bill and report, without objections. Copies of the bill and the report, excuse me. Copies of the bill and report with technical and conforming changes will be delivered to all full committee members' offices no later than 3 business days before the full committee. With that, thank everyone very much, and that concludes today's markup. Thank you so much.
The committee now stands adjourned.
Speaker 4
Good morning. The subcommittee will come to order. I want to welcome everyone to the subcommittee markup of the FY 27 Agricultural Rural Development Food and Drug Administration and related agencies appropriations bill. I'm pleased to be joined by our subcommittee ranking member, Mister Bishop, full committee chairman Cole, ranking member Deloro, and members of the subcommittee. For fiscal year 27, the subcommittee's discretionary allocation for the USDA, the FDA, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is 26,270,000,000, a 380,000,000 or 1.4% decrease from fiscal year 26 enacted level.
This bill is below enacted spending levels, even though it includes funding for the CFTC, which was funded via the Financial Services and General Government Bill last fiscal year. In a setting of $2,000,000,000,000 deficits, these modest spending reductions are necessary. In fact, spending is our problem, not the revenue. CBO projects once again federal revenue to increase in FY '26. This legislation reflects a clear conservative commitment to fiscal responsibility while ensuring that America's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities remain a top priority, and that all Americans have access to a safe food and drug supply.
This legislation builds on the successful efforts of the Trump administration to root out fraud, waste, and abuse, shrink the federal bureaucracy, and make USDA programs more farmer-friendly. It sets USDA on a responsible and sustainable spending path that will make both the department and our nation stronger. Under President Trump and Secretary Rowland's leadership, every taxpayer dollar will be spent in the pursuit of putting all American farmers and ranchers first. I'd like to highlight a few areas where this legislation supports the administration's efforts to refocus the department on its core mission by prioritizing essential functions in a fiscally responsible manner. The bill provides 1,160,000,000 for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, APHIS, to support the department's efforts to protect our producers from high path avian influenza, new world screw worm, and other foreign plant and animal diseases.
The legislation continues to invest in the delivery of farm programs, disaster assistance, and crop insurance to farmers by prioritizing funding for farmer-facing functions. Following the budget request, the bill moves 50,000,000 of Farm Service Agency IT funds from FSA to the Office of the Chief Information Officer to continue to invest in and implement USDA's One Farmer, One File initiative. After accounting for this transfer of funds, the bill increases overall funding for FSA staff, including for county office staff. The bill provides $8,000,000,000 for WIC, 4% higher than last year's mark, and allows WIC participants to purchase fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruits and vegetables, making all affordable options available. The bill provides important investments in critical agricultural research that will keep our producers on the cutting edge of technology and production practices.
We maintain funding for USDA's flagship competitive grant program, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, and protect capacity funding for our land-grant universities to ensure our farmers and ag workforce remains competitive with China. This legislation continues to fund vital rural development programs, including critical infrastructure investments in water and wastewater systems and housing programs, as well as increasing the loan authority for the business and industry and rural electric programs due to increased demand. For the FDA, the bill provides 3,360,000,000 in direct appropriations. And with increased user fees, FDA has a total budget of 7,100,000,000 to enable the agency to keep food, drugs, and medical devices safe and effective, as well as advancing the Make America Healthy Again initiatives highlighted in the president's budget. I appreciate the productive conversations ranking member Bishop and I have had on this bill.
I believe credible evaluation of this legislation will conclude that it balances the funding needs of the USDA, FDA, and CFTC while being responsible stewards of our constituents' hard-earned tax dollars. As Mister Bishop has said, this is a good faith effort to meet the moment, and there are critical things that warrant support. We wanna keep working with the minority as we move towards full committee markup next week. Okay. Finally, I wanna thank the staff on the subcommittee, and would note that the subcommittee received approximately 10,000 member requests touching every agency under our jurisdiction.
We've attempted to address both Republican and Democrat member requests within the available budget through community project funding, programmatic funding, and bill and report language. I look forward to working with all of you as the bill moves forward, and I ask for your support of this legislation. Now I'll recognize the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Bishop, for his opening remarks.
Speaker 11
Good morning, and thank you, Doctor Harris. Before we begin, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the life of our colleague and my friend of long-standing. I'm an agriculture comrade in arms, former house agriculture committee chairman, and faithful member of our Georgia delegation, representative David Scott, who passed away yesterday. His unwavering commitment to public service and tireless work to improve rural communities, 1890 land grant universities, and agriculture at large is greatly appreciated by the committee and by people all across the country. We'll miss him dearly, and my thoughts and prayers are with his family and staff.
And, mister chairman, if I would, I'd like to ask if we could have a moment of silence out of respect for representative Scott. Thank you. We'll miss him, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and with the staff. The Agricultural Rural Development, FDA, and related agencies bill is of vital importance to farmers and rural communities across the nation. It also provides the resources that are necessary for America's food and drug safety.
It affects every single American every day. Today, we gather to mark up the FY 2027 bill, a bill that is not as robust or constructive as I would prefer, but nonetheless a good faith effort to meet the needs of agricultural producers and our rural neighbors. Our subcommittee staff has worked under an unusually short time frame, given the very recent budget request from the president. And so I do wanna take a moment to acknowledge Martha Foley, Pam Miller, Alex Swan, Marie Waltieri, and all of the work that has gone into last week’s hearing and into this bill as well. I'd also like to thank my personal staff, Tanisha Buma and Hayek Hoxepian, for their untiring efforts.
I'm pleased, Doctor Harris, that this bill largely rejects the disastrous cuts and, in some cases, program eliminations put forth by the administration in the USDA budget request. The bill does continue 2026 funding levels for all rural housing programs. It maintains funding for low income seniors in the commodity food supplemental program, and it serves our strategic interests around the world by keeping Food for Peace and McGovern Douglas programs intact. The bill also provides sufficient funding for our school meals and flexibility for rural electric programming. Is the bill perfect?
Absolutely not. The FY 2027 bill before us today drastically cuts fruit and vegetable benefits for over 5,000,000 hungry women, infants, and children, and it reduces funding for emergency food assistance. It eliminates the health food financing initiative, and it fails to help school districts with the equipment needed to cook real food. I'm happy to work with Doctor Harris, to make America healthier again by bringing these programs back. This bill also cuts staff at the agencies that our farmers rely on most: the Farm Service Agency, Rural Development, and NRCS.
During a period of economic crisis in the farm country. Water and wastewater grants are cut nearly in half for the smallest and poorest rural communities, which makes no sense. We still have rural neighbors living with clay pipes and without access to sewer service. Trust me, they're in my district and yours, too. Clean water and working wastewater systems are a basic human need, not a privilege.
This critical infrastructure is a quality-of-life issue. My colleagues across the aisle seem obsessed with the border in November 2024, but will not provide the basic utilities that Texas border residents, American citizens, need. Colonials often lack running water, have substandard housing, and rely on failing septic tanks. Yet this bill cuts water and wastewater funding to these neighborhoods, as well as Alaska and Hawaii residents. Unfortunately, rural broadband is cut by 20%, rural business development is cut by almost 30%, and rural energy programs are cut by 50%.
Rural America needs help now more than ever, and I hope that we can improve this bill as the appropriations process continues. I'm also disappointed that the majority is once again offering caustic riders that have nothing to do with how our ag producers keep this country fed and clothed with the highest quality, the most abundant, the most affordable food and fiber in the world. In fact, these riders simply take the focus away from agriculture and distract us from the real issues. Overall, I appreciate your solid effort, Doctor Harris, to work diligently and collaboratively on this bill, and I look forward to our further conversations and discussion. And with that, you're back.
Speaker 4
Thank you very much. And I'll just note it's great that a physician and a lawyer work together. Thank you, Mr. Bishop. Now I'll turn to the distinguished chairman of the committee, Mr. Cole, for any remarks he may have.
Speaker 3
Thank you very much, mister chairman, and thank you ranking member Bishop, and certainly my good friend ranking member Delora, and to all the members here today. Our subcommittee markups continue this morning with fiscal year 2027 agricultural rural development food and drug administration and related agencies bill. We all recognize a simple truth. When American agriculture is strong, America is strong. This bill delivers on that.
It supports farmers, ranchers, and rural communities, and invests in research to keep the US competitive. The measure also includes important action to protect US enterprises. I'm particularly pleased with the steps taken to bolster national security by addressing foreign influence and agricultural transactions, and improving oversight of overseas drug manufacturing. The health and well-being of Americans remain central to this measure. We strengthen rural development, protect access to nutrition programs, and reinforce the integrity of critical food and medical supply chains.
And just as importantly, this bill restores focus and accountability by cutting wasteful programs, eliminating Biden era regulations, and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly and with purpose. This measure puts American producers, consumers, and communities first, and supports a strong agricultural economy, protects public health, and reinforces long-term prosperity. I thank Chairman Harris for his leadership in crafting this bill, and I appreciate the partnership of Ranking Member Bishop as well. And, certainly, I'm very grateful for the hard work of the majority and minority staff. I look forward to advancing this bill out of the subcommittee.
And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Speaker 4
Thank you, Mr. Cole. I'll now recognize the ranking member of the full committee, Mister Laurel, for any remarks she may have.
Speaker 5
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, ranking member Bishop, and my friend, Chairman Cole. If I could just associate myself with the comments of the ranking member on the loss of our wonderful colleague, Congressman David Scott. I had the opportunity to work with David on farm bills over the years. I served as the chair of the agriculture subcommittee, and it was really a pleasure to work with someone deeply committed to rural communities and to the farm community in this nation.
So, in fond memory of our friendship. I also want to say a thank you to the subcommittee staff, to Martha Foley, Marie Gualtieri, and Alex Swan in the minority side, and the counterparts on the majority as well, for the unbelievable hard work that these folks provide to all of us. I oppose the bill that is before the subcommittee today. It would raise costs on American farmers and working families, while cutting off crucial support for rural communities across the country. This bill makes substantial cuts to food vouchers, specifically for women, children, and infants, nearly 7,000,000 of whom received assistance through this program in 2023.
These are families with small children who are doing their best to make ends meet as the cost of groceries goes up with no end in sight. This food voucher program offers relief to those who struggle today to put food on the table, and we know that people are struggling to put food on the table. The program also supports the farmers and grocers who grow and sell the fruits and vegetables that these families can buy with their vouchers. Cutting back on this assistance will have a cascading economic impact that leaves everyone worse off. The bill cuts the Food for Peace program by $300,000,000, a 25% cut compared to 2026.
It denies hungry children around the globe access to the assistance they desperately need, but it deprives our farmers of the additional revenue that they earn when they grow food to support the program. And I would just say if you don't want to consider the hungry children around the world, I would hope you would care about what happens to US farmers and that you want to make sure that they are justly being able to scratch out a living. This bill cuts grant funding for waste and water development programs in rural communities. More than 2,200,000 Americans do not have access to basic plumbing and running water in their homes, and this problem is more pronounced in rural communities. The point of these grants is to help address that issue.
Instead, the bill slashes funding for these efforts by $62,000,000, leaving more and more Americans without access to the basic necessities of life we should all expect in the United States. The bill also eliminates the rural utility services, their high energy cost grants. The bill cuts loans under the Rural Energy for America program by 50%, while eliminating all grant funding. This program was created to help bring down energy costs for farmers, small businesses, and rural communities. More than 25,000 projects have been funded through this program, helping people across all 50 states reduce their energy costs.
And over two thirds of grants have gone to Republican-led districts. Yet, the Republican bill we are considering today decimates the program, raising energy costs for their own constituents all across the country. The bill does nothing to further protect our infants and better ensure infant formula safety, even in the wake of the baby botulism outbreak that surprised regulators and scared parents over the last few months. This bill leaves behind specialty crops, family, and small farmers while doing nothing to tackle the big agribusinesses that terrorize our farm economy and increase costs for the American consumer. Lastly, this bill includes a variety of divisive policy riders.
It eliminates protections for small meat and poultry producers, a gift to their larger corporate competitors. And it retreads partisan culture war provisions that have been stripped out of previous AG FDA bills, which discriminate against same-sex couples. In its current form, this bill raises costs for American farmers, takes food away from hungry families, cuts off support for rural communities, and loudly bangs the drums of culture war once again. I encourage my colleagues to oppose this legislation and work with Democrats to fix the many serious problems it contains. As a footnote, I would just say, and I'll say this to you, Mr. Chairman.
You made the point in your opening that we have a spending problem versus a revenue problem. If you take a look at the new ITEP report that shows 88 of our biggest industries pay zero taxes to the United States, we're talking about some $861,000,000,000. I submit to you that if we track that down and we provided that kind of enforcement, we would indeed have the funding to deal with some of these programs that now have been eliminated. In fact, as you've heard me say before, we have a revenue problem and not a spending problem. Thank you, and I yield back.
Speaker 4
Thank you, Miss DeLaura. At this time, does any member of the subcommittee wish to be recognized for opening remarks? Do any members wish to be recognized for amendments? Seeing no amendments, I'd like to recognize Mister Franklin, vice chairman of the subcommittee, for the purpose of making a motion. Thank you, chairman.
I move the bill be favorably reported to the full committee. Question is on the motion. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Those opposed, no.
No. Opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
Speaker 4
A recorded vote has been requested. All those in favor of a recorded vote, raise your hand. A sufficient number in support, a recorded vote is ordered. The clerk will call the roll.
Speaker 10
Mr. Aderholt. Aye. Mister Aderholt, aye. Mr Bishop? No.
Mister Bishop, no. Mister Klein? Mr. Klein, I. Mr.
Cole? Aye. Mr. Cole, I. Ms.
Deloro? No. Ms. Deloro, no. Mr.
Franklin? Aye. Mr. Franklin, I. Ms.
Glucentkamp Perez? No. Ms. Glucentkamp Perez, no. Doctor.
Harris? Aye. Doctor Harris, aye. Miss Henson? Aye.
Miss Henson, aye. Miss Captor? No. Miss Letlow? Aye.
Miss Letlow, aye. Mister Molinar? Mister Molinar, aye. Mister Newhouse? Aye.
Mister Newhouse, aye. Miss Pingree? No. Miss Pingree, no. Miss Underwood?
No. Miss Underwood, no. Mister Valadayo? Aye. Mister Valadayo, aye.
Miss Wasserman Schultz? No. Miss Wasserman Schultz, no.
Speaker 4
Any member wish to record their vote or change their vote? Oh, the mic was gone.
Speaker 4
Votes being aye, seven votes being nay. The ayes have it, and the subcommittee mark is passed. I ask unanimous consent that the staff be permitted to make technical and conforming changes to the bill and report. Without objections, so ordered, copies of the billing report with the technical and conforming changes will be delivered to all full committee members' offices no later than three business days before the full committee markup, which I think means it has to be delivered tomorrow. Thank you.
The committee now stands adjourned.
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