June 29, 1977
Page 21461
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, the Senate has before it H.R. 7558, the Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for fiscal year 1978 which provides funds for farm income stabilization; agriculture research and services; conservation, rural development and assistance; domestic food programs, including food stamps and child nutrition; the food for peace program; the Farmers Home Administration; and related agencies. I take this opportunity to comment on the relationship between this bill and the targets set out in the first budget resolution for fiscal 1978.
This bill provides $12.5 billion in budget authority and $13.8 billion in outlays for fiscal 1978, including $2.1 billion in outlays from prior year authority.
Under section 302 (B) of the Budget Act, the Appropriations Committee divides among its subcommittees the total budget authority and outlays to it under the budget resolution.
The funds provided in this appropriation bill are within the totals allocated to the Subcommittee on Agriculture and related agencies pursuant to section 302 (B) of the Budget Act. That allocation is $14.9 billion in budget authority and $14.4 billion in outlays. Together with action already completed, this appropriation bill is $1 billion in budget authority and $0.6 billion in outlays below the amounts allocated to the subcommittee.
Later requirements for items not provided in the bill will likely reduce the remaining allocation by $0.1 billion in budget authority and outlays, leaving the subcommittee well under its allocation. I ask unanimous consent that a table indicating the relationship of this bill to the subcommittee's allocation be included in the RECORD at the end of my remarks.
This bill is generally consistent with the assumptions of the first budget resolution.
I should point out that the possible later requirements which I have already mentioned relate to agriculture research and services and amount to $0.1 billion in both budget authority and outlays. These amounts would be in function 350 — Agriculture. While they are consistent with assumptions for budget authority in the first budget resolution for function 350, they could exceed outlay assumptions of that resolution by $0.1 billion. I mention this because there are already potential entitlement outlays from S. 275, the Senate-passed farm bill, which if enacted will lead to a much larger breach of the target outlay totals in function 350 — an excess of at least $0.5 billion. This is a significant matter as we proceed to consider both the conference report on the farm bill and any supplemental appropriations for agriculture programs. I should make it clear that the potential excesses in function 350 caused by the farm bill are within the direct spending jurisdiction on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee and do not affect the section 302(B) allocation of the Subcommittee on Agriculture and Related Agencies.
I wish to commend the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture and Related Agencies, Senator EAGLETON, for his dedicated efforts in bringing in a bill within the allocation made to his subcommittee. I would point out that it is critically important to save the funds remaining within the subcommittee's allocation because they are required to help the full Appropriations Committee to stay within its total allocation, since some other subcommittees will be oversubscribed when later requirements known at this time are taken into account.
I wish to also commend the distinguished chairman of the appropriations committee, Senator MCCLELLAN, for his assurance several days ago that the Appropriations Committee expects to be able to stay within the full allocation made to the committee under the first budget resolution, including all possible later requirements known at this time.
I trust that all of the remaining regular and supplemental appropriations bills for fiscal 1978 will enable us to maintain the discipline of the budget process and live within the target totals of the first budget resolution.