Division A — Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024

Overview

Division A funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and related agencies for fiscal year 2024. This covers everything from farm subsidies and crop insurance to food safety inspections, rural broadband, and nutrition research.

Total Spending

Approximately $25.5 billion in discretionary spending.

Key Funding Areas

• Farm Service Agency (FSA): $1.6 billion for farm loan programs and agricultural subsidies
• Food and Drug Administration: $3.6 billion for food safety, drug approval, and medical device regulation
• Natural Resources Conservation Service: $890 million for soil conservation and environmental stewardship
• Rural Development: $3.2 billion for rural housing, utilities, and broadband
• Agricultural Research Service: $1.7 billion for agricultural research
• Food Safety and Inspection Service: $1.1 billion for meat, poultry, and egg inspections
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: $1.2 billion for animal disease prevention and pest control
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): $6.0 billion for the WIC nutrition program

Notable Provisions

• Continues restrictions on FDA regulation of genetically modified salmon labeling
• Includes $500 million for rural broadband expansion (ReConnect Program)
• Maintains prohibition on closing or relocating USDA research labs

Who Benefits

Farmers, rural communities, food safety regulators, WIC recipients (low-income pregnant women and young children), and anyone who eats food inspected by USDA or regulated by FDA.

Plain English Summary

This section funds the agencies that keep your food safe, help farmers stay in business, bring broadband to rural areas, and make sure the drugs at your pharmacy actually work. The biggest single item is WIC — a nutrition program for pregnant women and young kids.