The U.S. House and Senate have passed both a $900 billion fiscal stimulus package and a $1.4 trillion government funding bill. With a signature from President Trump, it will deliver continued pandemic aid to millions of Americans and fund federal agency budgets through next September. The spending package includes funding of the USDA-Agricultural Research Service. NAAA again successfully pushed for the inclusion of language in the committee report to the bill indicating Congress’s continued support of the USDA-ARS Aerial Application Technology Program. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) was instrumental in advocating for this language. The committee report to the bill reads, in part:

Aerial Application Research.—The Committee recognizes the importance of the ARS Aerial Application Technology Program. The program conducts innovative research making aerial applications more efficient, effective and precise. Research for aerial application serves the public good as a vital tool for the future as agriculture strives to meet the food, fiber and bio-energy demands of a growing population.

Since 2002, NAAA has not only preserved funding for aerial application technology research, it also has secured $11,312,500 in funding for the Aerial Application Technology Research Unit (AATRU) within USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

If signed by President Trump, the bipartisan, bicameral year-end package wards off a government funding fight at the onset of the Biden administration. A breakdown of other pieces of the law include:

• $166 billion in direct checks: Individuals making up to $75,000 a year will receive a payment of $600, while couples making up to $150,000 will receive $1,200, in addition to $600 per child.
  
• $120 billion in extra unemployment help: Jobless workers will get an extra $300 per week in federal cash through March 14.
  
• $325 billion small business boost: Pandemic-effected small businesses would see a total of $325 billion, including $284 billion in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program.
• The legislation allows businesses to deduct expenses associated with their forgiven PPP loans, in addition to expanding the employee retention credit intended to prevent layoffs. It includes a two-year tax break for business meals—a priority for President Donald Trump—and rolls over various temporary tax breaks known as “extenders,” some for multiple years. The package also extends a payroll tax subsidy for employers offering workers paid sick leave.
• Farmers will see another $13 billion round of direct payments to help cover pandemic-induced losses.
• The package includes $20 billion for the purchase of vaccines, nearly $9 billion for vaccine distribution and about $22 billion to help states with testing, tracing and COVID-19 mitigation programs.