Senate appropriators representing farm states pressed Wednesday for both agriculture disaster aid and market-loss assistance in a year-end legislative package.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Wednesday to discuss the need for disaster funding across different sectors. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Xochitl Torres Small and other representatives of the Biden administration appeared before the committee to discuss ongoing work to recover from disasters like Hurricane Helene and Milton.
These hurricanes devastated farm country in states like Georgia and Florida.
The White House released an updated disaster aid request Monday that included $21 billion for producers who lost crops and livestock to hurricanes, wildfires and drought in 2023 and 2024. The White House request included another $3 billion for other recovery needs, including restoration of forests and watersheds and repairs to rural utilities.
In the hearing, senators appeared open to including dedicated funds to also address the downturn in prices for many commodities.
“Just like the weather-related disasters, adverse working conditions are completely out of the farmer's control,” Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., said. “Today, the American farmers and ranchers are experiencing literally unprecedented market conditions.”
Hyde-Smith said even if Congress were to pass a new farm bill before the end of the year the assistance wouldn’t reach farmers for some time.
She said there is a precedent for Congress to provide ad hoc assistance for market-related losses. She pointed to the 2020 CARES Act, which offered aid for the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hyde-Smith pressed Torres Small to commit USDA to distributing funds quickly and effectively should Congress provide assistance for market losses.
“Whatever Congress establishes, it is our responsibility to deliver,” Torres Small responded.
Lawmakers are discussing the possibility of including funding for market losses in legislation that would also extend the 2018 farm bill into 2025.
Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman, R-Ark., said appropriators are still working to determine exactly how much money will be available for agricultural disaster losses. But he said it's important to make sure that amount is enough to get farmers through this year and to ensure they can get the credit needed for the future.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., also stressed the importance of agriculture disaster relief, particularly to address drought that has impacted many parts of the country.
“You add that to all the other features of high input costs, low commodity prices, high interest rates, and the damage is real,” Moran said. “No disaster is anything easy to experience… But drought is something that is so discouraging, so depressing.”
Moran also said that he believes Congress should give USDA specific directions about how agriculture disasters funds should be spent, with some level of flexibility.
“The key here is that we not only provide this disaster assistance, but that you work with us, that USDA works with us so that we structure it right, not only in terms of making it effective to meet the need, but to help us get this farm bill done,” said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., the top Republican on the Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee.
In response to questions by Hoeven, Torres Small committed to working with the committee on structuring an aid package.
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