U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, said on Apr. 3 that the President’s proposed 2027 budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not meet the needs of rural Americans.
The topic is important because decisions about USDA funding affect farmers, small towns, and food programs across the country. The proposed budget would impact services and research that support agriculture during a time when many producers face economic challenges.
Klobuchar said in her statement, “The President’s proposed budget for the USDA falls far short of what rural Americans need right now — it cuts nearly one-fifth of USDA’s entire budget at a time when our farmers are already struggling. This budget would slash funding to rural small towns, jeopardize agricultural research, and eliminate international food aid that purchases products grown and produced by American farmers. If that wasn’t enough, the White House is moving forward with a reorganization of the Department that will reduce the quality of services for producers in the middle of this difficult farm economy.”
The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee was created after William Findlay from Pennsylvania suggested elevating agriculture's status within Congress according to its official website. The committee operates as a standing committee affiliated with the U.S. Senate according to its official website and currently includes 23 members—12 Republicans and 11 Democrats according to its official website.
This committee manages legislation related to agriculture, nutrition programs like food assistance initiatives, forestry issues, food security concerns both domestically and internationally according to its official website. It has compared agriculture alongside commerce and manufacturing as essential sectors needing balanced government support according to its official website. In past decades it influenced major policies such as price supports in the 1930s and addressed trade issues in agriculture during the 1990s according to its official website.
In addition to legislative duties on farming policy and nutrition programs like SNAP or school meals oversight—plus rural development—the committee also advances research and education efforts in American agriculture according to its official website.
