Reps. Carbajal, Brownley, Costa, Lofgren, Panetta Applaud White House Request of $2.8 Billion for Agriculture Disaster ReliefLawmakers from Central California have been pushing for funds to help California farms damaged by winter storms and flooding since the spring
Washington,
October 26, 2023
Tags:
Agriculture
The White House has joined California Representatives Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Jim Costa (CA-21), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) in asking Congress to approve disaster relief funds for California farmers and growers and others impacted by recent natural disasters. The White House requested $2.8 billion in disaster aid for farmers and ranchers impacted by natural disasters as part of a $56 billion spending supplemental request sent to Congress yesterday. “The devastating storms and flooding we saw earlier this year have been a heavy burden on our state’s farmers and growers. Intense rains and catastrophic flooding interrupted planting timelines, left fields so saturated many acres were left unplanted, and even now damage is continuing to roil the deeply important part of our local economies,” the members said. “We applaud the White House for joining us in our push to get Congress to pass an aid package to give them the direct and specific relief they need. We look forward to working with them and Congressional leadership to pass this and other key priorities laid out by President Biden’s supplemental request.” These lawmakers have been seeking approval on disaster aid funds for agricultural operations since April, including in a letter to the White House earlier this week. Persistent storms and flooding earlier this year caused an estimated $1.4 billion in damages to California’s agricultural operations. “It is imperative that the federal government provide much-needed aid to the agricultural community to allow for a full and timely recovery. Without this desperately needed assistance, farmers will not be able to produce the country’s fruits and vegetables and the effects will be felt nationwide,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the Biden-Harris Administration earlier this week requesting the inclusion of these funds in their supplemental spending request. Agriculture is the number one industry in California, with nearly 70,000 farms operated on 24.3 million acres. |
