$1.52 trillion plan includes expanded broadband, nutrition and research

President Joe Biden on April 9 submitted to Congress his list of priorities in a massive $1.52 trillion discretionary spending plan for fiscal year 2022.

If the plan were approved as presented it would go into effect Oct.1; however, historically presidential budgets only signal priorities and Congress has its own idea of the budget. Two of Biden’s key cabinet appointees, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland offered their support for the plan they believe addresses immediate and long-term objectives for the United States.

The budget proposes $27.8 billion budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, $17.4 billion for Interior and $11.2 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency.

The discretionary request proposes $1.2 billion, an increase of $74 million over the 2021 enacted level, for the Food Safety and Inspection Service to bolster the capacity of small and regional meat processing establishments and ensure safe food production. The discretionary request also provides $15 million for the local agriculture marketing program to support local supply chains.

In addition, the request supports fulfillment of the administration’s promise to strengthen anti-trust enforcement within the agriculture sector.

“The president’s budget provides the resources to build back better, stronger, and more resilient and equitably than ever before,” Vilsack said. “This is our moment to solve big challenges by acting boldly—to close the broadband gap facing rural America; to work with farmers, ranchers and producers to transform our nation’s food system and build new markets here and abroad; to protect and manage our nation’s forests and grasslands from catastrophic wildfires; and to ensure Americans have access to healthy and nutritious food. The president’s budget commits to building back better and USDA is at heart of that historic commitment.”

“As our country faces the interlocking challenges of a global pandemic, economic downturn, racial injustice, and the climate crisis, Interior is committed to an all-of-government approach to build back better,” Haaland said. “President Biden’s funding request provides much-needed resources to Tribal Nations, prioritizes racial justice and equity, and invests in healthy lands, waters, and a clean energy economy that will create good-paying jobs.”

Biden’s discretionary request:

• Expands broadband access. Rural Americans are more than 10 times likelier than urban residents to lack access to quality broadband. The discretionary request provides an increase of $65 million over the 2021 enacted level for the Rural e-Connectivity Program “Reconnect,” which provides grants and loans to deploy broadband to unserved areas. The benefits of high-speed internet will serve as an economic equalizer for rural America and the work of installing broadband will create high-paying union jobs with benefits in rural communities. This investment will build on the Coronavirus Relief Provisions provided in 2020 to support broadband infrastructure deployment to areas lacking broadband, especially rural areas.

• Invests in research and development capacity for farmers. American farmers must be able to leverage new technologies to compete in world markets, all while protecting soil and water, Vilsack said. The discretionary request provides $4 billion, or nearly $680 million above the 2021 enacted level, for USDA’s research, education, and outreach programs. These investments in agricultural research will advance innovation and the application of science-based and data driven agricultural decisions and practices. In addition, the discretionary request provides an increase of $161 million above the 2021 enacted level, to support a multi-agency initiative to integrate science-based tools into conservation planning in order to measure, monitor, report, and verify carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reduction, wildlife stewardship, and other environmental services at the farm level and on federal lands.

• Addresses growing threat from wildfire. Climate change is increasing the severity and frequency of wildfire seasons, transforming our nation’s forests at an unprecedented rate, and destroying homes and businesses. The discretionary request provides nearly $1.7 billion for high-priority hazardous fuels and forest resilience projects at a scope and scale to meet the challenge we face, an increase of $476 million over the 2021 enacted level. This funding supports the administration’s science-based approach to vegetation management at the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to protect watersheds, wildlife habitat, and the wildland-urban interface.

Haaland noted the administration is taking decisive action to address the existential threat of climate change. The discretionary request provides an additional $550 million over 2021 enacted levels to decrease climate pollution, accelerate clean energy deployment, and expand efforts around climate adaptation and ecosystem resilience among all the department’s land management agencies.

“These investments will directly benefit Americans by helping to limit climate-induced disruptions, including for coastal communities, the outdoor recreation economy, and people whose lives and livelihoods are intertwined with Interior-managed lands and resources, she noted.