J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 POTATO GROWER 27 President's Budget Sends Confusing Message To Ag President Trump's fiscal 2018 budget was released last week and lit a firestorm of confusion in the agri- culture industry about the conflict- ing messages that it contained. In one of the most glaring examples, the budget eliminates the export programs and Foreign Agriculture Service staff that are vital to making the newly-announced Undersecre- tary for Trade position a success. The budget also severely reduces EPA staff, including those working on pesticide reviews and approvals. This recommendation is directly in conflict with recent regulatory reforms intended to return pesticide regulatory decisions to a science- based process. "The President's Budget provides a window into the thinking of the Administration on various issues, but contains no authority to make those wishes a reality. We take Secretary Perdue and the other cabi- net officials at their word that they intend to work with Congress to ensure that America's agriculture industry thrives in the future," said John Keeling, NPC EVP and CEO. Specialty crops were hit especially hard by the President's views on where the federal budget should be trimmed. The Specialty Crop Block Grant program, the Market Access Program, crop insurance and agri- cultural research were all substan- tially reduced or eliminated. In response, the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance stated: "We are very dis- appointed to see the President's budget, released yesterday, call for draconian cuts, or even total elimi- nation of programs that are impor- tant to the specialty crop sector... We will work vigorously with our industry partners to make sure the Administration understands the challenges our industry faces so that we may work together to develop policies that help, not hurt, America's specialty crop producers." People, Product News