Budget bummer

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns pointed out in his visit with United members at Chicago that Congress will not have a lot of budget elbow room in the farm bill. He was lowering expectations for a reason.

Congressional Quarterly reported yesterday that House-Senate negotiations on the fiscal 2008 budget resolution should get underway today. CQ report Democrats want to wrap up work on the resolution by early next week. The resolution sets the total amount of discretionary spending the Appropriations committees will distribute among their 12 subcommittees, CQ notes.

Senate Concurrent Res. 21 spells out the discretionary budget for the USDA this way:

Agriculture
Fiscal year 2007:
(A) New budget authority, $26,207,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $22,580,000,000.
Fiscal year 2008:
(A) New budget authority, $20,481,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $21,497,000,000.
Fiscal year 2009:
(A) New budget authority, $20,984,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $20,108,000,000.
Fiscal year 2010:
(A) New budget authority, $21,137,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $20,118,000,000.
Fiscal year 2011:
(A) New budget authority, $21,099,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $20,390,000,000.
Fiscal year 2012:
(A) New budget authority, $21,288,000,000.
(B) Outlays, $20,763,000,000.


TK: Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said at Fresh Marketplace that the industry must continue to "tell its story" to Congress as work continues on the farm bill. Unfortunately, prying money from a USDA 2008 budget that has shrunk from 2007 and shows no signs of expanding after won't be easy, no matter how compelling the tale.