# Salaries and Expenses

**Agency:** Agriculture (USDA)  
**Account:** Salaries and Expenses  
**Source document:** Agricultural Research Service · p. 14  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/budget/agriculture/salaries-and-expenses-4  

> **Trust:** parsed from the agency Congressional Justification. Approximate, **not summable**, verify at the cited page.

## Funding ($M)

| Fiscal year | Basis | Amount |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FY2026 | enacted | 1,793.6 |
| FY2027 | request | 1,699.0 |

## Agriculture (USDA) discretionary budget authority (OMB PBDB — authoritative)

FY2027 $20.40B, FY2026 $33.40B. This is the agency total, not a sum of the parsed lines.


## What this funds

representing a decrease of $94,019,000 from the agency's 2026 operating level. The proposal includes a $60,000,000 increase to establish a competitive-style program, where labs will compete with one another for funding. Additionally, the Budget recommends program reductions of $153,063,000 from ongoing research projects and elimination of the Climate Hubs. It also proposes transferring $956,000 in National Security related expenses to the Office of Homeland Security. Finally, the Budget proposes the closure of four ARS locations and the consolidation of their resources with other existing ARS laboratories and locations. In accordance with administration policy announced in the Budget, ARS will follow new government- wide grants guidance prohibiting the use of Federal funds to pay for subscriptions to academic journals, as well as for the publication of research results that are not specifically required by Federal statute or approved in advance by a Federal agency. This policy preserves funds to support actual research by ensuring that the American taxpayer does not pay for the research, publication, and access to that research, essentially triple-charging the public for the same product. (1) A decrease of $6,356,000 and 0 FTEs for New Products/Product Quality/Value Added research ARS' New Products/Product Quality/Value Added research program is directed toward: Improving the efficiency and reducing the cost for the conversion of agricultural products into biobased products and biofuels; developing new and improved products for domestic and foreign markets; and providing higher quality, healthy foods that satisfy consumer needs in the Base funding supports ARS' program goals of increasing the economic viability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture by maintaining and/or enhancing the quality of harvested agricultural commodities; and expanding domestic and global market opportunities through the development of value-added food and nonfood technologies and products including energy and fuels. ARS' New Products/Product Quality/Value Added research program is carried out at numerous locations where agency scientists frequently collaborate with researchers from other Federal/State governments, academia, and private industry. The funding change is requested for the following items: A) An increase of $5,102,000 and 0 FTEs for a Competition-Based Pilot Program. This is a crosscutting, multidisciplinary initiative that supports the following programs: New Livestock Protection, Crop Protection, Human Nutrition, and Environmental Stewardship. A full description of the initiative is presented on the title page, B) A decrease of $11,377,000 from ongoing research projects to support higher priority The goal of ARS' research programs is to make the most effective use of taxpayer dollars within available resources. In order to respond to priority national needs, it is often necessary to reset priorities within the existing portfolio of projects. As a result, some projects no longer qualify for continued support. C) A decrease of $81,000 for National Security Related Expenses being transferred to the The decrease in funds of $81,000 for National Security related expenses, being realigned to the Office of Homeland Security (OHS), will enhance efficiency and effectiveness within USDA. This strategic realignment will centralize resources under OHS, which provides leadership in national security through policy development, emergency preparedness and response initiatives, and threat mitigation coordination. Consolidating the budget under OHS eliminates redundancies, ensures more coordinated resource allocation, and improves the execution of departmental security policies, ultimately bolstering the USDA's resilience and readiness without compromising overall security. ARS' Livestock Production research program is directed toward fostering an abundant, safe, nutritionally wholesome, and competitively priced supply of animal products produced in a viable, competitive, and sustainable animal agriculture sector of the U.S. economy by safeguarding and utilizing animal genetic resources, associated genetic and genomic databases, and bioinformatic tools; developing a basic understanding of food animal physiology to address priority issues related to animal production, animal well-being, and product quality and healthfulness; and developing information, best management practices, novel and innovative tools, and technologies that improve animal production systems, enhance human health, and ensure domestic food security. The research is heavily focused on the development and application of genomics technologies to increase the efficiency and product quality of beef, dairy, swine, poultry, aquaculture, and sheep systems. Areas of emphasis include increasing the efficiency of nutrient utilization, increasing reproductive rates and breeding animal longevity, developing and evaluating non-traditional production systems (e.g., organic and natural), and evaluating and conserving animal genetic resources. Base funding supports ARS' program goal of providing scientific information and biotechnologies that will ensure an abundant supply of competitively priced animal and aquaculture products. This includes developing genome analysis tools; identifying economically important genetic traits; preserving agricultural animal genetic resources; improving the efficiency of nutrient utilization and conversion of feeds and forages to animal products; enhancing reproductive performance; and improving aquaculture production systems. ARS' Livestock Production research program is carried out at numerous locations where agency scientists frequently collaborate with researchers from other Federal/State governments, academia, and private The funding change is requested for the following items: A) An increase of $5,407,000 for a Competition-Based Pilot Program. This is a crosscutting, multidisciplinary initiative that supports the following programs: New Livestock Protection, Crop Protection, Human Nutrition, and Environmental Stewardship. A Initiative" at the conclusion of the "Justification of Changes." B) A decrease of $21,623,000 from ongoing research projects to support higher priority The goal of ARS' research programs is to make the most effective use of taxpayer dollars within available resources. In order to respond to priority national needs, it is often necessary to reset priorities within the existing portfolio of projects. As a result, some projects no longer qualify for continued support. C) A decrease of $86,000 for National Security Related Expenses being transferred to the The decrease in funds of $86,000 for National Security related expenses, being realigned to the Office of Homeland Security (OHS), will enhance efficiency and effectiveness within USDA. This strategic realignment will centralize resources under OHS, which provides leadership in national security through policy development, emergency preparedness and response initiatives, and threat mitigation coordi


**Where it sits:** Civilian / Non-Defense › Agriculture (USDA) › Agricultural Research Service › Salaries and Expenses


*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. government. Civilian line dollars are parsed from agency Congressional Justifications and are approximate.*