Saturday, April 8, 2017

Budgeting Our Agriculture


One of the things that happen each year in our government is the annual budget of our Federal Government.  Being a person in Finance this has always interested me because I really do wonder how much of our budget is wasted and how much is really necessary.
So I have decided as part of this site to go over each area of the ‘Make America Great Again’ budget and communicate on it so we can see whether we agree or disagree with how our money is being spent.
So what I noticed first about the budget was that the first ten was all about the reasons for the cuts in each department, how it was for efficiency purposes and the need for the increase in areas of defense of this country.
The first department to be discussed is the Department of Agriculture.  This department is to provide leadership to promote sustainable agriculture production, protect long term availability of food through innovative research, and safeguard the health and productivity of the nation’s forests, grasslands and private working lands.  Basically, this department is about protecting our food and our forests.
The message on the budget for this department was about streamlining or reducing programs where the department competes with the private sector or other levels of government.  So basically, where they think these services can be provided by the businesses or departments that they think are better, the services are cut or reduced.
The budget reflects a 4.7 Billion dollar, or 21%, reduction, from the previous budget.
The reductions or eliminations are as follows:
-Reducing funding for lower priorities in the National Forest System, such as major new Federal land acquisition, instead focusing on maintaining existing lands.
-Basically this program reduces the chance of the government buying up land to either protect or sell for their own use therefore leaving it open for the ‘private’ sector.
 
-Reduces funding for USDA’s statistical capabilities, while maintaining core Departmental ana­lytical functions, such as the funding necessary to complete the Census of Agriculture.
 
            -Reducing the amount of statistics is always a good thing.
 
-Eliminates the duplicative Water and Wastewater loan and grant program, a savings of $498 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. Rural communities can be served by private sector financing or other Federal investments in rural water infrastructure, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s State Revolving Funds.
 
-This program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage system, sewage disposal, sanitary waste disposal and storm water drainage to businesses and homes in rural areas.
 
-So basically this is to push the safety of our water into the hands of the private sector or the states.  For example, Flint, Michigan.
 
-Reduces duplicative and underperforming programs by eliminating discretionary activities of the Rural Business and Cooperative Service, a savings of $95 million from the 2017 annualized CR level.
 
-This offers programs to support business development and job training opportunities for rural residents.
 
-Discretionary spending is optional spending for programs which means it can be eliminated easily.
 
-What actual programs this will reduce or cut is not known.
 
-Eliminates the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education program, which lacks evidence that it is being effectively implemented to reduce food insecurity.
 
-This program provides for US agricultural products as well as feeding of school age children in poverty stricken countries.
 
--Where is the evidence that it is not working because there is plenty of evidence that it does.
 
-Are we okay with providing for other countries feeding as part of our spending in this country?
 
 
Not a lot of people know about the Department of Agriculture and people forget that there is still farming going on in today’s country.
 
Do we believe that we should be cutting federal programs where they are in direct competition with private businesses?  Do we believe that incidents like GMO labeling or the Flint Crisis would be better off in the hands of corporate America?
 
We should agree that spending by the government needs to be more efficient but to do it so that corporations are in charge only brings about the country being at the mercy of them same corporations.
 
Is that the country we want?