USDA Seeks $257 Million for NRI, $1,067 million for ARS

The Department of Agriculture’s Fiscal Year 2009 Budget request of $257 million for the National Research Initiative reflects a transfer of $42 million which formerly supported integrated activities to focus on water quality, food safety, organic transition and pest management initiatives.  Also included in the budget request for the NRI is $19 million for the Department’s bioenergy and biobased fuels research initiative.   Year 2008 funding for the NRI is $191 million. 

The 2009 Budget proposal changes the amount provided for the NRI that may be used for competitive integrated activities from a maximum of 26 percent to a maximum of 30 percent.  Also proposed is the elimination of the cap on indirect costs for competitively awarded grants.  This proposed elimination would allow full indirect cost recovery under competitive awards.

The 2009 budget again proposes to modify the Hatch formula program by expanding the multi-State research program to approximately 70 percent from the current base of 25 percent.  A portion of these funds, 42 percent, would be redirected  to nationally competitively awarded, multi-state/multi-institutional projects in the first year with the remaining multi-State funds being phased into competitive grants from formula funding over a four year period as existing multi-State projects are completed.  The budget provides $139 million in Hatch Act funds, this is down from the $196 million for Hatch in the current year.

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) receives $1,067,000,000 in the Department’s Budget Request for 2009.  The current funding level is $1,185,000,000.  The Department said it would eliminate $41 million in Congressional earmarks and discontinue and redirect $105 million in lower priority programs.

Appropriations Committee members are expected to modify significantly a number of the provisions in the Department’s budget proposal.