FY 2025 Agriculture-FDA Bill – Hemp Amendment

Celebrating Governor Ron DeSantis’ recent veto of anti-hemp legislation in Florida.

As always there is status quo idiocracy going on in the padded rooms of the US Congress.

The House Appropriations Committee released the Fiscal Year 2025 bill for the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on June 10, including amended language from the draft 2024 Farm Bill amendment proposed by Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., which hemp advocates argue would negatively impact the industry.

The amendment in the FY 25 Agriculture/FDA bill proposes to redefine hemp to include only components of the Cannabis sativa L. plant and all derivatives, extracts, and seeds with less than 0.3% total THC (including THCA) on a dry-weight basis, while excluding cannabinoids that cannot naturally occur in the cannabis plant.

This legislation would effectively ban the sale of products containing hemp-derived cannabinoids like delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC, potentially closing a significant loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill and putting an end to a thriving multibillion-dollar market in the United States.

It would also eliminate the “THCA” loophole, where cannabis seeds and flower with low THC but high THCA levels are sold as legal hemp across state lines. (THCA is the non-intoxicating form that converts to THC when heated)

Press Release 6/10/24

Committee Releases FY25 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

Washington, D.C. – Today (6/10/24), the House Appropriations Committee released the Fiscal Year 2025 bill for the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

The bill will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow, June 11th at 6:00 p.m. The markup will be live-streamed and can be found on the Committee’s website.

Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) said, “As Americans know all too well, our livelihoods depend on agriculture for food, clothing, and thousands of jobs. I am proud the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill we put forward today supports our rural communities, strengthens our food supply, continues critical investments in agriculture research and rural broadband, and the FDA to assure the safety of drugs and devices.

“On a national level, this legislation reins in wasteful Washington spending and targets funding towards core programs that help America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

On a local level, the bill also reins in the regulatory overreach of the Biden Administration that only adds to the higher costs of doing business and living in rural communities.

“This year, the Agriculture Appropriations bill also focuses on elevating the nutrition needs of SNAP participants by giving states a chance to participate in a pilot program that restricts unhealthy food. As we put this legislation forward, I want to thank my subcommittee staff for their tireless work, and I look forward to its passage on the House Floor.”

Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said, “American production and innovation helps feed, heal, and connect communities. This FY25 bill prioritizes U.S. agriculture, food security, and a safe medical supply. It strengthens our rural communities by investing in broadband and vital nutrition programs. Safeguards to protect our farmlands from being ceded to foreign adversaries are also included. The legislation supports our food supply, producers, and American families. I commend Chairman Harris for delivering a measure that upholds critical core missions all while being responsible stewards of hard-earned tax dollars.”

Fiscal Year 2025 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act provides a total discretionary allocation of $25.873 billion, which is $355 million (1.35%) below the Fiscal Year 2024 enacted level and $2.688 billion (9.4%) below the President’s Budget Request.

The bill prioritizes agencies and programs that protect our nation’s food and drug supply; support America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities; and ensure low-income Americans have access to nutrition programs. The bill also reins in harmful regulations that raise the cost of doing business and make it harder to live and work in rural communities.

Key Takeaways

Supports our rural communities and strengthens our national security and food supply by:

Continuing critical investments in agriculture research, rural broadband, and animal and plant health programs.
Providing sufficient funds to ensure the safety of food, drugs, and medical devices.

Ensuring that low-income Americans have access to nutrition programs.

Addressing foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land by:

Improving the tracking system of foreign-owned land; and
Ensuring the Secretary of Agriculture is included in the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review agricultural transactions and also requiring the notification of CFIUS of agricultural land transactions of national security concern, including purchases made by China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.

Reining in harmful regulations that dictate how poultry and livestock producers raise and market their animals.

Blocking revised energy standards for newly constructed homes financed by the Department of Agriculture that would increase costs for rural, lower-income households in an already constrained housing market.

Prioritizing the nutrition needs of participants by allowing states to voluntarily participate in a pilot program to restrict unhealthy food purchases with SNAP benefits.

Providing a $33.8 million increase for the Food Safety and Inspection Service to fund frontline meat and poultry inspectors.
Continuing a program to increase inspection of foreign drug manufacturing facilities in China and India.

Providing adequate funding for land-grant universities to conduct agricultural research, ensuring American producers can compete with China.

Maintaining Buy American provisions that maximize the federal government’s use of services, goods, products, and materials produced and offered in the United States.

Focuses the Executive Branch on its core responsibilities by:

Providing no funds for new programs requested by the Administration.

Refusing to include resources to cover President Biden’s bureaucratic pay increases, saving taxpayers $281 million.

Rejecting the funding request for climate hubs.

Requiring the Food and Drug Administration to properly regulate and tackle the illegal e-cigarette products flooding our country before imposing further regulations on legal tobacco products.

Reaffirming the political limits outlined in the Hatch Act, particularly those of lobbying Congress and using official resources for political purposes.

Directing the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to reinstate the July Cattle report, the Cotton Objective Yield Survey, and all County Estimates for Crops and Livestock.

Limiting the agency’s funding flexibility to only core activities.

Supports American values and principles by:

Retaining the gene editing provision, which prohibits the “editing” of heritable genes or altering of genes that can be passed on to offspring.

Prohibiting the Biden Administration’s executive orders on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Prohibiting funds for the USDA’s new DEI Office.

Prohibiting the use of funds to promote or advance critical race theory.

A summary of the bill is available here.

Bill text is available here.

Subcommittees – Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (118th Congress)