Political Quotes

“I rise today to introduce the Agricultural Emergency Relief Act of 2023 and thank my colleague Senator Padilla for joining me as an original cosponsor. Our bill would establish a consistent structure and end the delays in administering ad hoc agricultural disaster assistance by authorizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Emergency Relief Program. In addition to improving the distribution of supplemental disaster funds appropriated by Congress, this program would encourage participation in crop insurance by requiring producers who receive relief payments to purchase 2 years of insurance. Every year, farmers across the country are contending with disasters of increasing severity and frequency, whether droughts and wildfires in the West, hurricanes in the Southeast, freezes in the Midwest, or flooding throughout the country. In some cases, crop insurance is able to cover the damages caused by these storms, but producers often require additional assistance due to the scale of the damage. This is especially true with specialty crops, where producers may lack affordable insurance options and, as a result, often operate with little coverage or no insurance at all. Federal disaster assistance has been a critical bridge back to production for these farmers, who are producing the Nation's food supply amid the worsening impacts of climate change. Since fiscal year 2018, Congress has appropriated more than $19 billion for agricultural disaster assistance.…”