WASHINGTON, D.C. (NAFB) – Congress returns from the July 4th recess this week with lots to do and little time to do it.

Infrastructure, spending bills, extending the debt ceiling and more, all of it important, much of it politically, very important, but with only a few weeks left before the traditional August recess.

Agriculture will come up on a number of fronts, including the fiscal ’22 spending bill still pending in both chambers. House Ag Appropriations Chair Sanford Bishop at recent committee approval of the bill.

The allocation including nearly 400 million dollars for USDA civil rights efforts.

Bishop says the bill would also restore pay costs and provide nearly 4.7 billion for rural development, including more for rural broadband.

The bill has 2.9 billion dollars for farm and conservation programs and 3.4 billion dollars for Ag research, plus full funding of SNAP, WIC and child nutrition programs.