Harris Remarks at FY27 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill Subcommittee Markup (As Prepared for Delivery)

Good morning. The subcommittee will come to order. I want to welcome everyone to the subcommittee markup of the Fiscal Year 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. I am pleased to be joined by our subcommittee Ranking Member, Mr. Bishop, Full Committee Chairman Cole, Ranking Member DeLauro, and the Members of the subcommittee.

For Fiscal Year 2027, the Subcommittee’s discretionary allocation for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is $26.27 billion, a $380 million, or 1.4 percent, decrease from Fiscal Year 2026 enacted levels. This bill is below enacted spending levels even though it includes funding for the CFTC, which was funded via the Financial Services and General Government bill in Fiscal Year 2026. In a setting of $2 trillion deficits, these modest spending reductions are necessary. 

This legislation reflects a clear, conservative 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, the bill increases overall funding for FSA staff, including for county office staff. 

The bill provides $8 billion for WIC – 4 percent higher than last year’s mark - and allows WIC participants to purchase fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruits and vegetables, making all affordable options available. 

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.

I appreciate the productive conversations Ranking Member Bishop and I have had on this bill. 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. We want to keep working with the minority as we move towards Full Committee markup next week.

Finally, I want to thank the staff on the Subcommittee and would note that the Subcommittee received approximately 10,000 Member requests touching every agency under our jurisdiction. We have attempted to address both Republican and Democrat Member requests within the available budget through Community Project Funding, programmatic funding, and bill and report language. 

I look forward to working with all of you as the bill moves forward, and I ask for your support for this legislation. Now, I will recognize the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Mr. Bishop, for his opening remarks.