1、Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code 97-417 ENRUpdated June 7, 2004Tobacco-Related Programs and Activities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture:Operation and CostJasper WomachAgricultural Policy SpecialistResources, Scie
2、nce, and Industry DivisionSummaryThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has long operated programs thatdirectly assist farmers and others with the production and marketing of numerous crops,including tobacco. In most cases, the programs themselves are not controversial.Increasingly, however, wher
3、e tobacco is involved, the use of federal funds is beingcalled into question. Taken together, all of the directly tobacco-related activities of theUSDA generated net expenditures of an estimated $85.8 million in FY2004, and thebudget anticipates net revenues of $32.6 million for FY2005.The federally
4、 financed tobacco price support program is the major form of tobaccofarmer assistance, which recently has been supplemented with quota loss payments andthe acquisition of surplus tobacco inventories. The USDA is prohibited by language inthe annual appropriations law from spending funds to help promo