Does Donald Trump's Budget Proposal Proposed Cuts For The Forestry Service

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By Karl Feather and P.J. Huffstutter and Martin Kidston

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Agriculture leaders including lawmakers from President Donald Trump's Republican Party on Thursday criticized his planned 21 percent cut to discretionary spending at the U.South. Section of Agronomics (USDA), proverb it could have a cost on the rural communities that helped elect him last November.

Trump has proposed slashing the USDA's discretionary upkeep by $4.seven billion to $17.ix billion by halting funding for rural make clean water initiatives and rural business services, reducing some USDA statistical services and cut county-level staff.

The Forest Service and National Park Service would besides see deep cuts nether the president'south proposed budget. The Section of Interior, now headed by Ryan Zinke, would also see a 12 percent cutting of $1.5 billion.

"Americans spend $6 billion recreating on public lands in Montana and $646 billion on public lands across the U.S., which tells u.s. how much Americans value these lands," said Brian Sybert of the Montana Wilderness Association. "Slashing the budgets of agencies that steward these lands, which are already operating at wholly inadequate levels, would take a devastating impact not simply on Montana'southward economic well-existence, but on our way of life and the places that allow us to pursue that mode of life."

The president has already vowed to alter merchandise deals that have largely boosted subcontract incomes and targeted health care policies that accept particularly benefited the rural poor.

"America'due south farmers and ranchers are struggling, and nosotros demand to exist extremely conscientious not to exacerbate these conditions," said House Agriculture Commission Chairman Michael Conaway. Farm incomes are down 50 percentage from iv years ago, he added.

Opposition is already building in Congress.

"I strongly oppose the Trump administration'due south proposed budget cuts to programs that are disquisitional to farmers, ranchers and families in small towns across America," Debbie Stabenow, ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the country's largest organization representing farmers, said county-level USDA staffing cuts and reduced statistical services could injure members.

"A lot of farmers and growers rely on USDA's statistical capabilities to brand a lot of marketing and run a risk management decisions and planting decisions," said John Newton, AFBF manager of market place intelligence.

The proposal did not requite details of which services could be cutting.

Trump's pattern aims to save $498 million by eliminating a program that helps fund clean water and sewer systems in small communities.

The budget proposal would besides eliminate a food assist program, which had $182 million in funding earmarked for fiscal 2017. Its planned $6.ii billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children is nearly $150 million less than fiscal 2016. Under old President Barack Obama, the program was reduced by $273 1000000 betwixt fiscal 2015 and 2016.

The plans for USDA spending were part of Trump's upkeep blueprint, a broad outline of spending proposals for the financial year ahead.

It does not cover "mandatory" spending established past police, like subcontract subsidies, simply "discretionary" programs where lawmakers tin can adjust spending.

The White House has said it plans to release a traditional full budget in mid-May.

The USDA oversees agriculture, rural communities and nutritional programs, including funding for school lunches. The bureau also publishes closely watched global farming product statistics.

(Additional reporting by Jo Winterbottom in Chicago; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and David Gregorio)