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Balanced Reporting. Trusted Insights.
Monday, April 14, 2025
The Department of Agriculture’s second effort at easing the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has distributed more than half its intended funding.
The Department of Agriculture will funnel another $500 million to the Farmers to Families Food Box Program and plans to issue contracts for the fourth round of the program by the end of next week.
For the second straight year, Democrats threatened but ultimately backed down from blocking Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue from getting a fresh pot of money to make payments to farmers.
Democratic congressional leaders refused to allow replenishment of a key Agriculture Department account, charging that the White House is employing it as a “political slush fund.” Senate Republicans quickly criticized the measure.
Lawmakers look to move a compromise stopgap funding bill this week to keep the government operating until December, even as much of the nation's attention is focused on the Supreme Court opening created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The Agriculture Department is launching a new round of coronavirus relief payments worth up to $14 billion that will be spread over more commodities with new methods of calculating the assistance.
President Donald Trump used a campaign event in Wisconsin to announce the administration's plan to distribute about $13 billion in additional payments under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.
The increase in payment limits for the 2019 version of the Market Facilitation Program allowed large farming operations to collect an additional $519 million over the 2018 program, the Government Accountability Office says.
