In his proposed 2023 budget, President Biden increased allocations for the USDA by 6% from the previous year. The key agricultural priorities of the administration include a boost in rural development spending, protection of individual producers against price manipulation from larger food corporations, water conservation, and wildfire protection. Mandatory nutrition programs are also seeing funding increases with an additional $834 billion going to the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program.
Politico food and policy reporter Ximena Bustillo identifies one big story from the omnibus: No extension of school meal waivers that have created remote free meals to students during the pandemic.