House appropriators approved their funding bill for the Department of Agriculture on Wednesday, advancing a proposal with millions of dollars in cuts to water, conservation and sustainability programs.
The fiscal 2027 Agriculture-FDA measure advanced out of committee on a 35-25 vote. It would reduce discretionary spending on agriculture and food programs to $26.3 billion, a decrease of 1.4 percent relative to the current level.
The Republican-drafted legislation will undergo extensive changes when negotiations with Democrats ramp up later this year. It is the fourth fiscal 2027 spending bill to advance out of the House Appropriations Committee in recent weeks.
The bill would eliminate funding for USDA’s climate hubs, slash the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program and cut grant funding for water projects in rural communities, building on the Trump administration’s efforts to downsize those efforts.
