Agriculture Industry Urges Congress to Move on Economic Assistance
With an end-of-January funding deadline quickly approaching, lawmakers in the House and Senate continue to advance spending packages to avoid another government shutdown. Many in the agriculture industry were hopeful this would include additional economic assistance funding and a year-round sales authorization of E15, or 15% ethanol fuel blend. A coalition group including the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, of which California Farm Bureau is a part, sent a letter last week urging lawmakers to move forward on much-needed support as farmers and ranchers continue to grapple with high input costs and other economic pressures.
California Farm Bureau has been focused on pressuring officials to provide more equitable support for specialty crop programs, which have not seen the same degree of financial assistance as other commodities have. A California Farm Bureau "Action Alert" garnered more than 1,200 letters to the Capitol Hill within a day. As of now, both measures have been stripped from the most recent House funding package, meaning there is likely more work to be done following the passage of any final deals. California Farm Bureau thanks members for their engagement and encourages continued outreach to Congress.
Staff contact: Matthew Viohl, mviohl@cfbf.com.
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