Agricultural Issues in the 109th Congress

• Main Author: Chite, Ralph M.
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service. 2006
• Subjects: Agriculture; Congress; Avian flu
• Online Access: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs10135/

A number of issues affecting U.S. agriculture have been or are being addressed by the 109th Congress. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171), enacted in February 2006, included a net reduction in spending on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandatory programs of $2.7 billion over five years, and the reauthorization of a dairy income support program. Other issues of importance to agriculture during the second session of the 109th Congress include the consideration of emergency farm disaster assistance; multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations; concerns about agroterrorism, food safety, and animal and plant diseases (e.g., “mad cow” disease and avian flu); high energy costs; environmental issues; agricultural marketing matters; the reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and farm labor issues.