The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is spending billions of dollars annually on programs that Congress never specifically authorized. Senators Chuck Grassley, Roger Marshall, and Mike Braun introduced the “U.S. Department of Agriculture Spending Accountability Act” (S. 2244) to ensure Congress decides how to spend this massive amount of taxpayer dollars. The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is the funding mechanism used to provide the money for most farm bill programs, with the CCC having $30 billion to spend each year.
The agriculture secretary can, however, use a specific sum of money from the CCC—between $12 and $17 billion—to finance his own programs without getting congressional approval. This discretionary spending authority has been used by past administrations to fund their preferred programs, such as the Trump administration’s “Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities” program. The CCC is already a slush fund, leaving space for abuse, corruption, and opportunities for special favors.
