The White House formally asked Congress on Monday for $21 billion in disaster aid for farmers who have lost crops and livestock due to hurricanes, drought and wildfires over the past two years.
The funding would be dispensed to producers under a new round of the Emergency Relief Program, last used for 2022 losses.
“In response to natural disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton, funds will be used to reimburse for crop production, crop quality, and orchard tree losses that are in addition to crop insurance indemnities,” the White House request says.
USDA estimated 2022 crop losses at $10 billion, but Congress provided funding for only one-third of that. USDA subsequently angered some farm groups by pro-rating the assistance so that smaller scale producers would get a larger share of their losses covered.
The White House request also includes $1.08 billion for USDA’s Emergency Watershed Protection program that pays for debris removal and watershed stabilization work in areas hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
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The Biden administration wants an additional $375 million for USDA Rural Development’s Disaster Assistance Fund and another $356.5 million for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program.
The Disaster Assistance Fund request includes funding to help utilities repair damage to the electrical grid and transmission lines.
The White House’s total disaster aid request, including the USDA funding, comes to $100 billion.
“The Congress has previously responded on a bipartisan basis to support communities in the wake of natural disasters — including providing over $90 billion in aid after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, over $50 billion following Hurricane Sandy in 2013, and over $120 billion following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017,” President Joe Biden said in the request.
“Just as the Congress acted then, it is our sworn duty now to deliver the necessary resources to ensure that everyone in communities reeling from Hurricanes Helene and Milton — and those still recovering from previous disasters — have the federal resources they need and deserve.”
Asked by reporters about the aid request, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., said Monday evening, "We need to make sure that it's timely and it's sufficient to keep these folks farming."
Thompson toured hurricane-damaged areas in Florida and Georgia over the weekend. "They have no revenue, they've lost infrastructure, they've lost income," he said of the affected producers.
Lydia Johnson contributed to this report.
