Josh Harder: “This week, the administration released its proposed budget, and I am here to share what those budget cuts actually mean…”

“This week, the administration released its proposed budget, and I am here to share what those budget cuts actually mean for the farmers in my home, California's Central Valley. Imagine you are an almond farmer in the Central Valley. Maybe your farm has been a part of the family for multiple generations. Over the past 5 years, you have seen your net farm income has dropped by half, the largest drop since the Great Depression. Then you wake up this week and hear that the administration, which promised to be in your corner, wants to cut billions of dollars from programs that help you and your family put food on tables across the country: Programs like crop insurance so if you lose your crops from flooding or from fires your farm stays afloat. Under this budget, crop insurance is cut by $26 billion; Programs like drought relief to make up for damaged properties during arid seasons. Well, under this budget drought relief is cut by $8 billion. Or imagine you live in a district like mine where water management and storage are essential. Well, under this budget, 30 percent of the Army Corps of Engineers' budget is cut, putting all those structures at risk. ____________________”