Riders in the Night: Harmful Provisions in the House Spending Bill
Funding for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and three other federal departments, is set to expire at midnight this Friday, March 1, absent congressional approval of a Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) appropriations bill, or an extension of current funding. Amidst final-hour congressional negotiations to fend off a government shutdown, several policy “riders” have emerged as sticking points in reaching a deal on agriculture spending in particular. A “rider” refers to a non-germane legislative provision tacked onto a must-pass appropriations bill.
The House of Representatives’ FY24 Agriculture Appropriations bill – initially unveiled almost a year ago, in early spring 2023 – includes a number of harmful policy riders on top of deep funding cuts. This post briefly examines several proposed policy riders as Congress seeks to conclude FY24 appropriations negotiations.
Limiting Fair Competition
One such policy rider, …