Some 121 lawmakers penned a letter to President Donald Trump on the ag aid plan being drawn up by USDA, with the letter signed by key lawmakers like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., and ranking member of the House Ag Committee Mike Conaway, R-Texas.
The lawmakers pointed out the losses being faced by cattlemen and others in the ag sector and it raised a familiar theme: Relief should not be further reduced by payment limitations “that would harm real family farmers (of both specialty and row crops), ranchers, livestock and dairy producers.” Pay limits “may have a place in Farm Bill debates,” the letter said, “and may even be necessary in the context of trade aid, but if the goal of this emergency package is to support critical infrastructure and industry, it needs to flow in proportion to production, risk, and losses.”
The lawmakers said USDA needs to come up with a payment effort that does “not discriminate against producers who marketed their crop or used risk management practices, including hedging and forward contracts. These are crucial to producers managing enormous risks.”
Plus, the help should not exclude producers of any crop. As for the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) $14 billion borrowing authority that comes available in July, the lawmakers said USDA should “include this amount in this relief package in order to address the concerns we have outlined and offer relief in phases as you did so successfully under the Market Facilitation Program (MFP).”
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