2002, ISBN: 9781234612900

RareBooksClub. Paperback. New. This item is printed on demand. Paperback. 26 pages. OCLC Number: (OCoLC)48085251 Excerpt: . . . ou have shown in calling this hearing, because the issues… More...

RareBooksClub. Paperback. New. This item is printed on demand. Paperback. 26 pages. OCLC Number: (OCoLC)48085251 Excerpt: . . . ou have shown in calling this hearing, because the issues that are affecting farmers, consumers and other constituents of the Departments programs are, as you pointed out, very important. As you know, the administration recently issued a blueprint document outlining its budget priorities for fiscal year 2002. While the detailed budget will not be submitted to the Congress until the first part of April, I want to give you the best possible overview of our priorities. There are three overarching considerations that shape the administrations approach to developing the budget for 2002. These include, first, slowing down the growth of Federal spending and funding urgent national priorities; second, achieving historic levels of debt reduction; and third, providing tax relief. Farmers and other beneficiaries of USDA programs all have a stake in these objectives and will benefit from the Presidents initiatives, particularly tax relief. Farmers especially will benefit from the elimination of the estate tax and from the proposed establishment of tax deferred risk management accounts. Restraint of Federal spending is important, since it has grown substantially in recent years. Left unchecked, this growth would cause spending to far exceed the Budget Enforcement Act baseline over the next 10 years. USDA has contributed to this accelerating growth of Federal spending. Over a 10 year period, USDA outlays increased by about 24 billion, from 46 billion in 1990 to nearly 70 billion in 2001. In recent years, USDA outlays have been highly variable, largely reflecting emergency spending to address natural and economic disasters in the agricultural and rural economy. Substantial growth occurred in both mandatory and discretionary spending. Im sure this committee is aware that the Department of Agriculture has one of the most diverse sets of discretionary programs in the Government. . . . This item ships from La Vergne,TN., RareBooksClub<