Harris Floor Remarks on H.R. 8646, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2027 (As Prepared for the Record)

Mr. Chair, I rise today to bring before the House H.R. 8646, the Fiscal Year 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. 

I want to thank Appropriations Committee Chairman Cole for his leadership in quickly moving the FY27 appropriations process forward. I also want to recognize the ranking member of the full committee, Ms. DeLauro, and the subcommittee ranking member, Mr. Bishop, for their work in getting us to this point. I appreciate the conversations Mr. Bishop and I have had, and while we may not agree on everything in the bill, I know we are much closer to agreement than some of today’s debate and rhetoric may show. 

For FY27, the subcommittee’s discretionary allocation is $26.27 billion, a $380 million, or 1.4 percent, decrease from Fiscal Year 2026 enacted levels. In a setting of $2 trillion deficits, these modest spending reductions are necessary. 

This legislation reflects a clear, necessary commitment to fiscal responsibility while ensuring that America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities remain a top priority and that all Americans have access to a safe food and drug supply.

This legislation builds on the successful efforts of the Trump Administration to root out fraud, waste, and abuse, shrink the federal bureaucracy, and make USDA programs more farmer-friendly. It sets USDA on a responsible and sustainable spending path that will make both the department and our nation stronger. Under President Trump and Secretary Rollins’ leadership, every taxpayer dollar will be spent in the pursuit of putting all American farmers and ranchers first.

I would like to highlight a few areas where this legislation supports the Administration’s efforts to refocus the department on its core mission by prioritizing essential functions in a fiscally responsible manner.

The bill provides $1.16 billion for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to support the department’s efforts to protect our producers from High-Path Avian Influenza, New World Screwworm, and other foreign plant and animal diseases. 

The legislation continues to invest in the delivery of farm programs, disaster assistance, and crop insurance to farmers by prioritizing funding for farmer-facing functions. Following the budget request, the bill moves $50 million of Farm Service Agency IT funds from FSA to the Office of the Chief Information Officer to continue to invest in and implement USDA’s One Farmer, One File initiative. After accounting for this transfer of funds, no matter what you will hear from the naysayers, the bill actually increases overall funding for FSA staff, including for county office staff. 

The bill provides important investments in critical agricultural research that will keep our producers on the cutting-edge of technology and production practices. We maintain funding for USDA’s flagship competitive grant program, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, and protect capacity funding for our land-grant universities to ensure our farmers and ag workforce remain competitive with China.

This legislation continues to fund vital Rural Development programs, including critical infrastructure investments in water and wastewater systems and housing programs as well as increasing the loan authority for the business and industry and rural electric programs due to increased demand.

For the Food and Drug Administration, the bill provides $3.36 billion in direct appropriations, and with increased user fees, FDA has a total budget of $7.1 billion to enable the agency to keep food, drugs, and medical devices safe and effective as well as advancing the Make America Healthy Again initiatives highlighted in the President’s budget.

Finally, let me discuss WIC. The bill provides full funding of $8 billion for WIC. USDA data clearly shows that WIC participation has been declining and is not projected to be as high as originally estimated for Fiscal Year 2027. USDA also expects to have sufficient carryover funds to meet all the program needs. With lowered participation estimates and increased carryover funding, $8 billion will fully fund the program. Let me say it one more time – despite with the naysayers will claim WIC is fully funded. No woman or their children will lose or be denied coverage.

I believe credible evaluation of this legislation will conclude that it balances the funding needs of the USDA, FDA, and CFTC, while being responsible stewards of our constituents’ hard-earned tax dollars. As Mr. Bishop has said, this is a good faith effort to meet the moment and there are critical things that warrant support. I am pleased that the bill received bipartisan support out of Committee, and we want to keep working with the minority as we move forward. In closing, I ask for your support for this legislation. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.