The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee will unveil its plans for FY 2000 spending on farm, nutrition and other programs Thursday, Congressional sources said.

The panel’s ideas for spending will be closely scrutinized by affected interests.  Of particular interest to farm and nutrition groups will be how the subcommittee’s spending totals relate to earlier-mandated “caps” on annual funds.  The caps, which also apply to other federal agency budgets, would require significant cuts if strictly enforced.  Many Capitol Hill observers have speculated that Congress will ultimately decide to let spending rise above the caps, but the 2000 budget resolution calls for lawmakers to abide by the caps, which were legislated in the 1997 budget-balancing law.