Washington Roundup – September 2024
By: Lowell Randel
Congress Considering Continuing Resolution to Keep Government Funded
With the fiscal year coming to an end on September 30th, Congress has limited time to pass stopgap legislation to avert a government shutdown. While there is broad recognition that a continuing resolution is needed, there are differing approaches being considered. Speaker Johnson recently attempted to advance a resolution that would run into March 2025, but that bill was defeated due to concerns with added policy riders and the preference of some lawmakers to end the continuing resolution in December. It now appears that mid-December is the most likely length of the continuing resolution and Speaker Johnson is developing a new version that does not include the policy riders. Uncertainty remains, particularly in the House, about the prospects of completing a continuing resolution prior to September 30th.
Should Congress fail to pass a continuing resolution, a shutdown would have significant impacts across the federal government, including the Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA has developed a series of shutdowns plans for each of its Mission Areas. The Research, Education and Economics Mission Area plan can be found HERE. Programs receiving mandatory funding, not subject to annual appropriations, will continue to operate. Discretionary programs funded by the annual appropriations process will have to halt operations during a shutdown. Each agency will also designate excepted employees who are considered “essential,” usually in the context of protecting human life or property.
Agriculture Committees Continue Work on Farm Bill as Expiration Date Nears
The Farm Bill is currently operating under a one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill. The extension is set to expire on September 30th and it is clear that a new Farm Bill will not be completed by that deadline. While House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders are continuing to state their desire for a new Farm Bill before the end of 2024, significant policy differences remain. Nutrition and conservation funding and policy are the most contentious issues yet to be resolved. There has been some discussion about a short-term extension, but Congressional leaders are currently focusing more attention on averting a government shutdown.
It appears that Farm Bill authority will be allowed to expire at the end of September (as happened in 2023), but most impacts would not be felt until the new 2025 crop year. The impact of Farm Bill expiration varies among different programs. Some programs, including many conservation and nutrition programs, are provided mandatory funding through the Farm Bill and would expire at the end of September. Other programs are only authorized by the farm bill and funded through appropriations, this includes most research programs. Commodity programs operate on a crop year basis, so there would not be an immediate impact of expiration. Dairy is usually the first sector impacted by a new crop year. Without an extension of commodity programs by the beginning of the new crop year, USDA would revert to permanent authority from the 1938 and 1949 Farm Bills. Programs like crop insurance have permanent authority and would not be impacted by an expiration of the Farm Bill. Depending on the outcomes of the November election, there is a slim chance that Congress can finish the Farm Bill during the lame duck session before the end of the calendar year. Should it become clear that a new bill is not possible in 2024, it is likely that another extension of the 2018 Farm Bill will be passed to avoid significant disruptions in 2025.
FDA Announces Animal and Veterinary Innovation Centers
On September 18th, the Food and Drug Administration announced the establishment of four Animal and Veterinary Innovation Centers (AVICs) to advance regulatory science and further development of innovative products and approaches to better support animal health and veterinary interventions. These AVICs further the goals outlined in the FDA’s Animal and Veterinary Innovation Agenda (AVIA), which describes the agency’s plans to spur innovation to better protect human and animal health.
The three areas of concentration for the AVICs focus on:
- Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and emerging zoonotic disease threats or One Health issues;
- Intentional genomic alterations (IGAs) in animals and the advancement of regulatory science in this field, with a focus on IGAs that support agricultural resilience, food security, animal health, or public health; and
- Unmet veterinary medical needs in both minor and major species that create a significant animal or public health burden.
The four recipients of funding are below, as described in their proposals:
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, for research to explore the development of genome-edited chickens to reduce susceptibility or provide resistance to HPAI and other avian viruses by genetically targeting pro-viral host factors, antiviral proteins, or viral genes.
- University of California at Davis, for work on IGAs in major livestock species to advance the use of gene editing technologies in food animals, while generating and sharing both phenotypic and bioinformatic data to support a science-based approach to the regulation of IGAs in food animals.
- Kansas State University, for work to develop models which reliably and consistently evaluate the efficacy of analgesics in food animals in support of new drug approvals. This work supports pain relief in pigs, goats and cattle for painful diseases or surgical pain.
- University of Arkansas, for work to determine the infectivity and formation of cyst-like Histomonas meleagridis (the causative agent of blackhead disease in turkeys) in vitro and in vivo; identify the cellular pathways mediating encystation in H. meleagridis; and screen and assess potent inhibitors against encystation of H. meleagridis in vitro and in vivo.
The partnerships were chosen through a competitive cooperative agreement process to establish the AVICs and address critical animal, human or environmental health needs in one or more priority areas. Funding is renewable up to four years pending suitable progress and availability of funds. The agency’s Notice of Funding Opportunity will remain open for other application opportunities. The center intends to work with Congress and partners to expand this new initiative to support robust innovation in the animal and veterinary medical sectors.