HYDE-SMITH, COMMITTEE APPROVE AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS MEASURE
Miss. Senator Serves on Subcommittee that Crafted FY2025 Agriculture, Rural Development Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) on Thursday helped provide unanimous committee approval of funding legislation that supports agricultural and rural development needs in Mississippi.
Hyde-Smith serves on the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee that drafted the FY2025 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which was approved by the full Senate Appropriations Committee. The measure is among three FY2025 bills now ready for consideration by the full Senate.
“With limited resources, we’ve crafted a bill that recommends adequate funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies to do their jobs, including those programs that support agriculture production, research, and nutrition programs in Mississippi,” Hyde-Smith said. “I support this Senate bill because it addresses some of the priorities given to me by Mississippians involved in our state’s largest economic driver.”
Among the items of interest to Mississippi in the committee-passed Senate measure:
- $22.47 million for the USDA Rural Development Circuit Rider Program to assist the Mississippi Rural Water Association and other water associations across the country respond to water system failures.
- $9.0 million for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to carry out watershed and flood prevention improvements in Mississippi watersheds.
- $1 million for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to combat cormorants on Mississippi catfish operations.
- $17.5 million for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance, testing, management and response activities, $12.5 million of which is for state departments of agriculture and wildlife to respond to CWD.
- $1 million for APHIS to combat feral swine on Mississippi agricultural and forestry lands.
- $5.4 million for deferred maintenance at USDA Agricultural Research Service facilities in Mississippi.
- Robust funding for the Food and Drug Administration Imported Shrimp Safety and Inspection Pilot Program to ensure imported shrimp meets the same food safety standards as Gulf shrimp and help level the playing field for shrimpers suffering under the weight of imports.
- Bill language directing the Food Safety Inspection Service to continue the catfish inspection program.
- $13 million for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program, which offsets the educational loans of veterinarians serving in rural veterinary shortage areas.
- $4 million for the Veterinary Services Grant Program.
- $1 million for the Institute of Child Nutrition at the University of Mississippi.
- $1.5 million to continue the Agricultural Marketing Service Cattle Contract Library to strengthen price discovery in cattle markets.
- Bill language waiving statutory pay caps to ensure APHIS veterinarians can receive adequate compensation when responding to animal health emergencies.
- Bill language prohibiting USDA from closing any Farm Service Agency county offices.
The three measures approved by the committee comply with the statutory caps on discretionary funding established under the recently-enacted Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, the debt limit bill.
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