Stabenow Seeks Info on Farmer, USDA Impacts From Shutdown

The current partial government shutdown is halting much of the activity at USDA, and Senate Ag Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., wants USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to spell out the impacts that are being felt by the agency and farmers alike. She raised several issues in a Jan. 9 letter to Perdue on the topic, saying she is "deeply concerned that the shutdown is having a devastating impact on USDA's operations, hurting many American farmers and families." Because of the shutdown, Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices are currently closed, "prohibiting farmers from getting information necessary for farming operations, signing up for Farm Bill programs, and getting needed loans," she wrote. "The shutdown has also delayed tariff relief payments that were supposed to be provided to compensate producers for losses caused by retaliatory tariffs." With regard to the new Farm Bill, Stabenow highlighted the legislation's "significant improvements and premium refunds for dairy farmers are effective at the beginning of 2019." But with the partial government shutdown, implementation of those new provisions has been delayed. "Dairy farmers will be asked to select coverage levels that could trigger payments as soon as USDA is able to implement the provisions," she noted, and asked, "Does USDA anticipate any ability to make up for the lost time for implementation caused by the shutdown?" Meanwhile, she also wants USDA to provide details on how USDA Rural Development activities have been impacted. As with farm lending, she asked for data on rural development "direct loans, guaranteed loans, and grants" that have been affected. Finally, she noted that due to the shutdown "USDA's employees are not being paid, hindering them in paying their bills and causing personal financial hardships," adding those public servants "deserve better than this."