Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, Jan. 23, throughout a U.S. Senate Agriculture committee listening to on the nomination of Brooke Rollins to guide america Division of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (Democrat – Ga.) pushed for key commitments from Rollins to make sure catastrophe help is distributed each swiftly and equitably, Georgia farmers are shielded from the excessive prices related to commerce wars and extra.
The Senator additionally pushed Rollins to decide to defending Fort Valley State’s partnership with USDA and to eradicating pink tape from low-income youngsters and households receiving diet advantages.
If confirmed, Rollins would oversee USDA’s rollout of catastrophe funding for farmers that Warnock secured in December. Following the catastrophic injury of Hurricane Helene in September 2024, Warnock labored to incorporate agricultural catastrophe funding in any end-of-year authorities funding bundle, which included almost $21 billion in catastrophe aid funding for farmers in addition to $10 billion in financial help for row crops farmers. This consists of cotton and peanut farmers in Georgia.
“Farmers, as you understand, do unimaginable work,” Warnock stated. “It’s a troublesome enterprise. There’s a lot you don’t management. The margins are slender, and so I do every thing I can to guard my growers in Georgia. I can not overstate how essential it’s for USDA to distribute this help, this catastrophe help to Georgia farmers as shortly as potential–but additionally as equitably as potential. If confirmed, how will you’re employed to make sure catastrophe help is distributed each swiftly and equitably?”
As a veteran member of the Senate committee overseeing federal agriculture insurance policies, and as a senator representing a state with a heavy agricultural historical past, Warnock is defending packages that assist Georgia farmers hold extra earnings of their pockets and hold the trade on the frontlines of Georgia’s success.
“Farmers in Georgia are already involved about potential retaliatory actions following President Trump’s guarantees to levy heavy tariffs,” Warnock stated. “They’re already coping with slim margins as a result of excessive enter prices, and the very last thing they want is to be caught in the course of a commerce battle that might drive-up meals costs for all of us. If confirmed, what is going to you do out of your place at USDA to make sure that Georgia’s farmers and households aren’t caught up in a commerce battle? It’s one thing I’ve labored on with Republicans, serving to to get our farmers’ items to market, it’s one thing we take into consideration lots.”
