Annual Appropriations
Each year the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) engages in the annual appropriations process through which Congress funds the basic functions of the federal government. NSAC talks to its member groups to decide its appropriations priorities, and then advocates for those programs in DC and around the country. NSAC works to bring farmer and rancher voices to Appropriations Committee decisions by encouraging citizen action, coordinating grassroots response and organizing farmer “fly-ins” to DC.
Although there are many Appropriations Subcommittees (e.g. Homeland Security, Energy and Water, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, etc.), NSAC’s work primarily involves the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees of the House and Senate, because those Subcommittees determine how farm, food, and rural development funding will be allocated.
It is important for your Congressional Representative and Senators to hear from you about why you think a particular farm, food or rural program should be funded and at what level in the following year’s appropriations bill. Communication about this can happen in several ways: 1) through a phone call to your Representative’s or Senator’s offices; 2) through an in-district meeting with your Representative or Senators or their staff; 3) a letter that is faxed to their office. See the Advocacy Toolkit for more details.
A chart showing the latest FY 2011 Appropriations funding for NSAC priorities is available here. This is current as of February 2010.
Recent Actions Taken by NSAC:
- NSAC’s initial FY 2011 Appropriations Chart, Updated February 2, 2010.
- NSAC’s Final FY 2010 Appropriations Chart, Updated October 13, 2009.
- NSAC delivers letter to Representative DeLauro and Senator Kohl urging increases for competitive grants research programs, September 14, 2009.
- NSAC joins 50 farm, commodity, conservation, wildlife, environmental and forestry groups in a letter to House and Senate appropriators vigorously opposing the President Obama’s proposed $600 million in farm bill conservation program cuts, June 5, 2009.
- NSAC’s FY 2010 Agriculture Appropriations Testimony to House Subcommittee (revised) and to Senate Subcommittee, May 12, 2009.
- NSAC’s sign-on letter to appropriators requesting increased SARE funding, dated May 1, 2009.