Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Food Safety, have led a group of 10 colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to speed up and increase payments for disaster and economic assistance programs. The call comes as farmers face trade uncertainty, higher input costs, and natural disasters.
The senators addressed their concerns in a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. “As farmers face continued trade uncertainty, rising input costs, and natural disasters, we encourage you to expedite economic and disaster assistance that will benefit all farmers, including specialty crop growers,” they wrote. “While significant assistance flowed quickly to farmers in the summer and fall, payments were limited to 35 percent of approved applications.”
They added: “As a result, less than $6 billion out of the $16 billion available has been paid out to farmers more than a year after Congress provided the funds and nearly three years after some farmers faced losses. Farmers are talking to their lenders right now to make plans. Adjusting the factor and making additional top-up payments now will expedite assistance now when farmers need it most.”
The senators also noted that “the Farmer Bridge Assistance program of $12 billion, just $1 billion of that total is for specialty crops, sugarbeets, and other crops.” They urged USDA to develop “a program that reflects the unique needs of specialty crop growers. We also encourage you to ensure this assistance truly meets the needs of all farmers.”
In their letter to Secretary Rollins, they acknowledged USDA’s implementation of funding from the American Relief Act of 2025 for economic losses in 2024 as well as disaster losses from 2023 and 2024. They highlighted concerns about delays caused by limiting initial payments to 35 percent of approved applications—resulting in less than $6 billion disbursed from a $16 billion fund—and further delays with extended deadlines for aid through April 2026.
The senators expressed particular concern about how only $1 billion out of $12 billion in new Farmer Bridge Assistance is allocated for specialty crops despite challenges faced by these sectors such as lost markets and labor shortages. They suggested looking at previous federal programs as models for designing future aid packages tailored to these producers’ needs.
Alongside Klobuchar and Slotkin, signatories included Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD).
The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee was established in 1825 as part of the standing committee structure within the United States Senate. It oversees agricultural policy areas such as farming economics, food programs, forestry management, rural growth initiatives—including national issues like crop protection and food security—and environmental conservation according to its official website. The committee plays a central role in shaping national policies related to agriculture through reviews and studies (official website).
