The House Foreign Affairs Committee marked up and approved its version of the trade title to the Farm Bill (H.R. 2844). As approved by the committee, the legislation provides funding of $225 million annually for the Market Access Program (MAP) and $34.5 million annually for the Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program-the same levels recommended by the Administration in their Farm Bill proposals earlier this year.
During debate on the legislation, an amendment by Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-IL) to reduce funding for MAP and certain other programs was defeated by vote of 30 to 17. The Manzullo amendment would have reduced MAP to $206 million annually, giving the program a 3 percent increase above baseline funding of $200 million annually. During debate on the amendment, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos (D-CA), and Reps. Jim Costa (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), and Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) all spoke strongly in support of MAP.
Prior to the markup, a letter from the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports, of which the NPC is a member, was delivered to all members of the Foreign Affairs Committee. The House Agriculture Committee ultimately has jurisdiction over these programs and will also markup MAP and FMD. The coalition that NPC is working with will continue to try to increase the funding amounts during that process.