Ag Policy Blog

Coming off U.S. District Court rulings against EPA's Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan will testify before the House Agriculture Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Subcommittee on Wednesday.

The hearing is titled A Review of USDA Animal Disease Prevention and Response Efforts.

The hearing will be held at 9 a.m. Central on April 19 and will be livestreamed. https://agriculture.house.gov/…

See, "Federal Judge in North Dakota Issues WOTUS Injunction in 24 States,"

https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Stabenow, Boozman Ask Budget Committee for More Funds

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., ranking member on the committee, have asked the Senate Budget Committee for more money for the next farm bill.

In a letter to Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking member on the committee,

Stabenow and Boozman wrote, "As the Committee on the Budget considers recommended spending authority in the budget resolution, we would ask you to recognize that since 2018, the federal government has approved more than $90 billion in ad hoc assistance for farmers and ranchers in response to Chinese tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports, the pandemic, and increasingly unpredictable climate-related disasters. A commitment to additional financial resources for the farm bill will help to transition our farm and food supplies away from ad hoc support. The committee also respectfully requests the inclusion of a reserve fund in the FY24 budget resolution to provide budget flexibility should our spending authority be increased."

In the letter the senators also noted, "As rural populations continue to decline, we know that the Farm Bill is an opportunity to invest in critical infrastructure to support and grow rural economies. The Committee will continue to work on improving access to high-speed internet, rural water and electric infrastructure, and rural business development because the health of the U.S. farm economy and rural communities depend on the actions taken by the Committee to secure the future."

Stabenow and Boozman's letter: https://fj-corp-pub.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/…

Grassley Urges Vilsack to Monitor 'Actively Engaged' Rule

Grassley, also a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, also wrote Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this week that, "As you know, federal law requires that these recipients [of farm subsidies] be actively engaged in farming. However, a 2020 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued five recommendations to improve USDA's work to ensure that recipients are in full compliance with the law. Nearly three years later, those recommendations remain unaddressed by the USDA."

"As work continues to draft this year's farm bill -- which is projected to cost the government more than a trillion dollars over the next 10 years -- it is incredibly important to ensure that taxpayer dollars go to those intended," Grassley added.

Grassley's letter https://www.grassley.senate.gov/…

Jerry Hagstrom can be reached at jhagstrom@nationaljournal.com

Follow him on Twitter @hagstromreport

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