| Title XI: Crop Insurance | |||
Title III: Trade
What it does: Promotes U.S. agricultural commodities to new and expanding foreign markets and provides international food and agricultural aid to mitigate the damage of foreign disasters as well as bring relief and stability to countries struggling to feed their people.
What it costs: $5 billion, less than 1% of the projected 10-year cost of farm bill programs through 2033.
What’s in play: Congress consolidated USDA’s export promotion programs under the Agricultural Trade Promotion and Facilitation Program in the 2018 farm bill. Now, a broad array of commodity groups are calling for increased funding for two of those programs – the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD). Lawmakers in both the House and Senate have proposed bills to double the funding.
While MAP allows USDA and farm groups to share the costs of marketing and promotional activities that help build commercial export markets for U.S. agricultural products, FMD helps U.S. farm groups pay for their presence in international markets. The last time Congress increased funding for MAP was in 2006, and for FMD in 2004.
Some lawmakers are pushing to end any use of Food for Peace funding for cash assistance rather than distribution of U.S.-grown commodities. A proposal led by Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kan., would also require that at least half of Food for Peace funding be used for commodities and ocean shipping. Humanitarian groups strongly oppose the legislation, saying the prohibition on cash assistance could deprive aid to millions.
Notable marker bills:
H.R.648 and S.176 – Bipartisan proposals led by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., and Sen.. Angus King, I-Maine, to double mandatory funding for MAP to $400 million and FMD to $69 million.
H.R.4293 – The American Farmers Feed the World Act, led by Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kan., would restrict Food for Peace – also known as P.L. 480 Title II – to providing U.S-grown food.
