Sponsors (14)
The bill expands access to specialty-crop research funding for smaller producers and organizations by waiving matching requirements and enabling rapid waivers, at the cost of shifting more grant costs to taxpayers and potentially reducing applicants' financial commitment and project leverage.
Specialty-crop producers, researchers, small businesses, and nonprofits can receive Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SRDI) grants without providing matching funds, increasing their access to federal research dollars and improving competitiveness for smaller organizations and startups.
State governments and researchers can benefit from faster, targeted waiver authority for the Secretary to respond quickly to emerging specialty-crop research needs, enabling more timely allocation of funds to priority problems.
Federal taxpayers may fund a larger share of SRDI grants, increasing USDA outlays or forcing fewer awards within a fixed budget if matching funds are no longer required.
Farmers and researchers could have weaker financial commitment to projects because removing the matching requirement may reduce project leverage and long-term sustainability of research efforts.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the matching-funds requirement for Specialty Crop Research Initiative grants awarded on or after enactment.
Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the existing matching-funds requirement for grants made under the Specialty Crop Research Initiative for grants awarded on or after enactment. The change gives the Department more flexibility to fund projects when applicants cannot provide matching funds, but does not change authorized funding amounts.
Introduced May 29, 2025 by Kim Schrier · Last progress May 29, 2025