Thad Cochran: “I appreciate the inquiry of the Senator from Florida. It is my understanding that the Department of Agriculture has…”

“I appreciate the inquiry of the Senator from Florida. It is my understanding that the Department of Agriculture has existing authority under current law to provide assistance for agricultural purposes in areas where people have suffered disasters. It provides opportunities for haying and grazing on conservation lands. There are a wide range of emergency activities that can be undertaken under existing law. When we reach a point at which there is a determination of exact dollar amounts of damage incurred by citrus growers or others who have been hurt by the storms in Florida, that may be a possible reason for an additional supplemental to be submitted whose benefits were not described in the submission that was received today. This is considered an emergency for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and others who are on the frontline of recovery, providing shelter, providing food, emergency items to protect life, debris removal, particularly areas where the debris poses a danger to life and limb. This is the kind of supplemental, as I understand it, the President has submitted.”