The House of Representatives could vote as soon as Wednesday on
the plan proposed last week by Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Spending cuts in the McCarthy plan would result in up to 1,800
fewer food safety inspectors, which could mean a production loss
of $416 billion for the meat, poultry, and egg industry, plus
higher prices for consumers, according to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA).
There would be 2,700 fewer firefighters to handle wildfires,
125,000 fewer rural households connected to high-speed internet,
and 84,000 fewer farmers and ranchers receiving assistance in
implementing conservation practices, the USDA said.
Additional cuts to infrastructure development grants and
rescission of funds for small meat and poultry processing plants
would total about $1.5 billion, the agency said.
McCarthy's office did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
In a deal made early Wednesday morning, House Republicans
removed a provision of the McCarthy plan, which was criticized
by Midwestern lawmakers, that would have ended a tax credit for
biofuels that was included in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack had also criticized the
biofuel provisions on Tuesday, saying it would set back
transportation industry efforts to lower fuel emissions.
The Wednesday deal also accelerated the timeline for expanding
work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, in a concession to
far-right members of the party.
Under the new version, expanded work requirements would go into
effect in 2024 instead of 2025.
About 275,000 people would lose benefits each month under the
plan, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday.
(Reporting by Leah Douglas; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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