House Committee Approves Spending Bill

May 11, 2000

The House Appropriations Committee approved a bill to fund the Agriculture Department, Food and Drug Administration and other agencies for the coming fiscal year, after defeating an effort by House Majority Whip Tom DeLay to strike a controversial rider that would relax sanctions against Cuba and other rogue nations.

After a spirited debate, the committee voted 35-24 against DeLay’s (R-TX) amendment, which would have removed new procedures to allow food and medicine commercial sales to sanctioned countries. Although Cuba dominated the debate, Iran, Libya, Sudan and North Korea would also be affected.

U.S. farm groups strongly support the proposal, which has a parallel in the spending bill approved earlier this week by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Under the new rules, one-year licences would be required for sales to nations suspected of sponsoring terrorism.

In an unexpected move, the committee also voted to cut administrative and operating expenses paid to companies that sell federal crop insurance. The roughly 20% cut in those expenses occurred as staff members were meeting on the other side of the Capitol in preparation for the last stages of a conference committee on a major expansion of crop insurance. Crop insurance companies say they already lose money in actually delivering the coverage – the expenses covered by the funds the committee cut – and only remain profitable through underwriting gains.