The Washington Post is reporting details of the proposed Trump Administration budget, which includes a 21% cut to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is the third-highest budget cut among all U.S. departments, behind the Environmental Protection Agency (31%) and the State Department (29%). The Labor Department is also facing a proposed 21% reduction. The proposal only covers discretionary, and not mandatory, spending.
The White House Office of management and Budget’s 2018 spending blueprint calls for $17.9 billion to fund the USDA, a decrease of $4.7 billion. Mandatory programs like crop subsidies for farmers and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, aka “food stamps”) are left largely intact. The Post reports that little information has been provided as to how the USDA is to carry out the cuts.