|
To Members of the NASULGC System:
The President's FY 2007 Budget Request was made public this
morning and we have obtained or created several documents
concerning funding for the USDA's Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). These documents are
posted to the Web site at the following locations:
USDA Portion of Budget:
www.nasulgc-bac.com/documents/FY2007/USDA.pdf
CSREES (and ARS) Excerpts from the USDA Appendix:
www.nasulgc-bac.com/documents/FY2007/ARS_CSREES.pdf
CSREES Information from Congressional Budget Book:
www.nasulgc-bac.com/documents/FY2007/CSREES_BB.doc
CSREES Spreadsheet (a BRT document):
www.nasulgc-bac.com/documents/FY2007/Bush.xls
Statement About Competitive Research:
www.nasulgc-bac.com/documents/FY2007/USDA_spin.doc
Here are some key details (as we know them at this time):
1. USDA Research, CSREES, and ARS
The Budget requested a total of $2.653 billion for USDA's
research agencies, which represents a $382 million reduction in
funding over the FY 2006 enacted level. (In some documents
you will see the Administration claim an increase in USDA
research funding but that is only in comparison to the
President's FY 2006 Budget Request.) Total funding for CSREES in
the President's Budget is $1.046 billion, compared to $1.207
billion in the FY 2006 bill as enacted. Total funding for the
Agriculture Research Service (ARS) would be $1.001 billion,
compared to $1.124 billion in the FY 2006 bill as enacted.
2. Formula Funds
The Budget does not proposed to eliminate
funding for Hatch and McIntire-Stennis
programs as had been proposed in the President's FY 2006 Budget.
However, apparently funding for the Animal Health & Disease
research program would be eliminated as would funds for
several other programs in the Research & Education category.
(See the CSREES spreadsheet.) The "USDA Budget Brief"
provides the following explanation with respect to a proposed
redirection of Hatch and McIntire-Stennis funds:
|
"The 2007 budget which funds the
Hatch Act and the McIntire-Stennis programs at about
the 2006 level would increase funding for
competitive grants. The proposal will modify the
Hatch formula program by expanding the multi-State
research programs to approximately 55.6 percent from
the current base of about 25 percent. A portion of
these funds, 35 percent, will be redirected to
nationally, competitively awarded,
multi-State/multi-institutional projects in the
first year with the remaining multi-State funds
being phased into competitive grants from formula
funding over a four year period as existing
multi-State projects are completed. This new
approach will sustain the matching requirement and
the use of Federal funds to leverage non-Federal
resources. Additionally, the proposal will modify
the McIntire-Stennis formula program by creating a
multi-State research program supported by about 59
percent of the total funding. All McIntire-Stennis
multi-State funds will be distributed though
competitively awarded grants in 2007." |
3. NRI and Section 406 Integrated Programs
The Budget once again proposes to move a number of the
programs authorized under Sec. 406 of the Agricultural Research,
Extension and Education Act of 1998 from the "Integrated
Activities" section of the CSREES budget to the National
Research Initiative (NRI). Funding for the NRI would be
increased by some $66.3 million above the FY 2006 enacted level.
This means that if all of the Sec. 406 programs were funded at
their FY 2006 levels, the NRI would still be increased by
$24 million over last year.
4. Special Grants ( Earmarks )
As has been true for many years, the President's Budget
proposes to eliminate most of the special grants that Congress
has traditionally included within the CSREES budget.
We will provide additional details to you just as soon as we
have them.
Fred H. Hutchison
Fleishman-Hillard Government Relations
|
