Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced that the full House Appropriations Committee has approved the FY2022 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies spending bill, which provides $26.55 billion in funding, a more than 10 percent increase over the previous year. Pingree is Vice Chair of the Agriculture, Rural Development, and FDA Appropriations Committee. 

“Farmers feed our nation and drive rural economies, but they are facing significant challenges from climate change and pandemic-related supply chain disruptions. The pandemic pulled back the curtain, showing a multilayered food and nutrition crisis and the remaining work to fix it,” said Pingree. “The FY22 Agriculture Appropriations bill will ensure we reexamine and reinvest in our food system, increasing funding by more than 10 percent to build resiliency in our supply chains and supporting local farmers and food systems. I’m also proud that this bill will support rural America and our quest to expand reliable broadband across Maine.”

Pingree continued: “Importantly, the bill passed by the House Appropriations Committee invests $347.4 million across USDA to tackle the climate crisis in farming and rural communities, reflecting many of the provisions in my bill, the Agriculture Resilience Act. These initiatives will put American farmers on a path to net-zero emissions to protect their livelihoods, fight the climate crisis, and protect the food on our plates.”

In the bill, Pingree secured $450,000 in funding for the Maine 4-H Innovation and Learning Center in Bridgton, Maine to allow Maine 4-H Foundation to purchase the Magic Lantern Theater in Bridgton, Maine and transform it into an Innovation Lab and Learning Center. The Magic Lantern will generate funding to support the Innovation Lab and Learning Center programming. The goals of the Center include engaging 3,000 – 4,000 students annually for STEAM activities, raising student performance in Bridgton and surrounding Cumberland and Oxford county communities, and creating stronger economic development conditions for companies and organizations that need talented employees. 

As a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Pingree proudly advocated for the inclusion of the following funding items to support Maine’s farmers:

• Local Food: Provides highest-ever discretionary funding level for the Local Agriculture Market Program at $21.4 million, a $2 million increase over FY21. 
• Climate Change: Provides $347.4 million across USDA to address the impacts of climate change. These investments include research to monitor, measure, and mitigate climate change, accelerate climate smart agriculture practices, reduce greenhouse gases, and advance clean energy technologies. This includes substantial funding increases for USDA’s Regional Climate Hubs and $15 million to enhance the Long-Term Agroecological Research Network, both of which are focuses of the Agriculture Resilience Act.
• Soil and Human Health Linkages: Provides $1 million for a National Academies study on the links between human and soil health, similar to a provision of the Agriculture Resilience Act.
• PFAS: Includes report language encouraging USDA to increase flexibility in how the Dairy Indemnity Payment Program (DIPP) can support dairy farmers affected by PFAS contamination, including by extending the payment time limit from 18 to 36 months.
• Small-Scale Meat Processing: Includes $2 million for small-scale meatpacking apprenticeships at experienced non-profits, community or junior colleges, vocational schools, or other appropriate entities, similar to a provision in Pingree’s Strengthening Local Processing Act. 
• Organics: Provides increased funding for the National Organic Program and the Organic Transition Program, plus strong report language directing USDA to act on the backlog of National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recommendations within a specified timeline. 
• Broadband: Invests over $907 million, an increase of $115 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, in the expansion of broadband service to provide economic development opportunities and improved education and healthcare services. This includes $800 million for the ReConnect program.
• Nutrition: Extends enhanced WIC fruit and vegetable cash value vouchers and ensures SNAP-eligible families will get the benefits they need without the need for emergency supplemental funding should unanticipated program expansions occur.

A summary of the Fiscal Year 2022 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill is available here.