Meeting with the Georgia Farm Bureau

This week is Georgia Ag Week, where we celebrate our state's past, current, and future generations of agriculture.

I am thankful for all of our farmers, and I recently met with Georgia Farm Bureau County Presidents in my D.C. office to discuss current agricultural policies impacting them.

Make sure to thank your local farmers today and every day!

Urging USDA Secretary Rollins to Distribute Disaster Aid

Congress passed disaster relief in December, but our farmers have not received these critical payments from the USDA. I joined House and Senate members in sending a bipartisan letter to USDA Secretary Rollins urging her to distribute these payments to farmers in need immediately.

Our farmers who were impacted by Hurricane Helene are already struggling with economic uncertainty, multiple seasons without a new Farm Bill, and a downturn in the overall agricultural economy. Any delays in aid will further contribute to their losses.

Additionally, I co-led the bipartisan Fairness Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act, which addresses outdated adjusted gross income (AGI) limitations that prevent many full-time farmers from accessing crucial USDA disaster programs. There is no reason extremely outdated AGI limitations should inhibit their access to crucial assistance.

I will continue to advocate for our farmers and urge the administration to create a transparent rulemaking process so producers can access this vital aid.

Read the letter here.

Meeting with Georgia Department of Community Affairs

Multiple hurricanes, especially Hurricane Helene, have impacted our rural communities, and many people are still rebuilding today. I met with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to discuss how we can better move forward with recovery.

MSN | Southern congressmen request expedited rules on $20.78B agriculture aid

"Congressmen led by North Carolina Republican Sen. Ted Budd are asking Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for an expedited rules process on a $20.78 billion package of aid.

Citing natural disasters and catastrophic damages, Budd and 28 others signed a letter reading in part, 'These natural disasters have caused irreparable damage to commodity and specialty crops, livestock, forestlands, and infrastructure, leaving farmers, ranchers, and foresters in desperate need of support.'

Money is already approved. It came in the $110 billion relief package authorized by the 118th Congress and signed by former President Joe Biden in December. Much of the agriculture assistance is going to the South, where Hurricanes Milton and Helene were two of the three in 66 days hitting Florida and doing significant damage.

The congressmen write in the Monday letter, 'Over the past two years, farm income has dropped drastically. In 2023, farm income dropped by $34.6 billion from the previous year, and in 2024, farm income dropped another $8.2 billion. This, coupled with the projected U.S. farm trade deficit to hit $49 billion in fiscal year 2025, has left farmers facing difficult financial conditions under which to renew lines of credit for this year’s growing season.'

The letter says, 'Lack of clarity in the rulemaking process for natural disaster programs will prevent many farmers from fully utilizing the aid...'

House of Representatives members signing include North Carolina Reps. Pat Harrigan, Chuck Edwards, Don Davis, David Rouzer, Richard Hudson, Virginia Foxx, Dr. Greg Murphy, Tim Moore, Deborah Ross, Brad Knott and Addison McDowell; Georgia Reps. Austin Scott, Buddy Carter, Rick Allen, Sanford Bishop and David Scott; Florida’s Vern Buchanan, Scott Franklin and Kathy Castor; and Virginia’s Morgan Griffith."

Read more here.