Senate committee seeks to rein in some of President Trump’s USDA, FDA cuts

The Senate Appropriations Committee has voted to advance its agricultural funding bill, which, if approved, could reduce the impact of some of the provisions sought by the president.

The bill provides the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration with $27.1 billion in discretionary funding in fiscal year 2026.  

It essentially maintains FDA funding at its fiscal year 2025 levels. The FDA would be funded at $7 billion, with $3.6 billion coming from taxpayer funds and $3.4 billion in user fee revenues. The vast majority of the FDA budget goes toward the agency’s drug and medical device responsibilities, not food. The House version of the bill came in slightly under the Senate’s, at $6.8 billion. 

According to the committee’s report, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill provides funding for a wide array of federal programs, mostly in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

“These programs include agricultural research, education, and extension activities; natural resources conservation programs; farm income and support programs; marketing and inspection activities; domestic food assistance programs; rural housing, economic and community development, and telecommunication and electrification assistance; and various export and international activities of the USDA,” the committee report states. 

The bill also provides funding for the Food and Drug Administration and allows the use of collected fees for administrative expenses of the Farm Credit Administration. The discretionary programs and activities of USDA and FDA that are supported by this bill include high priority responsibilities entrusted to the federal government and its partners to protect human health and safety, contribute to economic recovery, and achieve policy objectives strongly supported by the American people.

The committee’s report is a includes a request for FDA to provide a briefing on potential recommendations for improving supply chain resilience. 

The committee report also raised concerns about hiring restrictionsin place at the FDA for scientists, product reviewers and inspectors. 

Key points in the report include:  

• “The Committee is aware of the challenges facing recruitment and retention of qualified candidates for these positions and directs the FDA to remove the hiring restrictions in place for these key roles within 30 days of enactment of this act,” the report stated.
• “As the FDA continues necessary modernization to meet the needs of the fast-paced development of innovation in the United States, a key component is ensuring its workforce has the up-to-date expertise to meet those needs.”  

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