Top Democrats on the House and Senate Agriculture Committees on Thursday demanded that USDA justify why it has frozen payments from a variety of programs.
In a letter to Acting Ag Secretary Gary Washington, House lawmakers said they’ve heard from individuals enrolled in various USDA programs who received communications from the agency about a moratorium on disbursing funding. The lawmakers started hearing these complaints on Jan. 22, about a week before an Office of Management and Budget memo halting the disbursement of all federal funding. That memo has since been rescinded and is facing legal challenges.
Lawmakers said funding has halted in numerous programs, including USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Small Business Innovation Research and the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative programs. All of these are funded through annual appropriations.
They also noted that funding was paused for the Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program, which was funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation. Agri-Pulse first reported on the pause earlier this week.
In the letter, the lawmakers asked Washington to explain the reasoning and legal justification for freezing these payments. They also requested a list of any and all agency programs where funding has stopped. The deadline for the agency’s response to the House is Feb. 14. The senators asked for a response by Friday, Feb. 7.
The letter from Senate Agriculture Committee Democrats also requests a timeline of when recipients may hear from USDA about the status of their funding.
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“The Trump Administration rightfully has asked for a comprehensive review of all contracts, work, and personnel across all federal agencies. Anything that violates the President’s Executive Orders will be subject for review," USDA said in a statement. "The Department of Agriculture will be happy to provide a response to interested parties once Brooke Rollins is confirmed and has the opportunity to analyze these reviews.”
The House letter was sent by Reps. Angie Craig of Minnesota and Sanford Bishop of Georgia, the top Democrats of the House Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, which writes the annual spending bills for USDA and the Food and Drug Administration. Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree, who sits on both panels, also signed the letter.
They pointed out that rural Americans and small businesses are most affected by this funding freeze. Grant recipients often operate on thin margins and rely on these funds to support farmers and continue their work, the lawmakers wrote.
“Pulling the rug out from these recipients runs counter to the mission of the USDA and will quickly and significantly cripple economic development in rural America, with a ripple effect that hurts businesses and jobs that indirectly benefit from federal investment,” the House letter says. “Reneging on USDA’s funding commitments and arbitrarily stopping grant funding without consideration of the impacts to the hardworking American citizens is reckless.”
The Senate letter was signed by all Democrats on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and lead by Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
“Over the past week, farmers, ranchers, schools, and state governments have contacted our offices in search of clarity on programs, websites, offices, and activities impacted by these orders," senators wrote. "Conflicting information from the administration has added to the uncertainty, costing those who depend on the Department time and money. The farmers, rural families, and businesses that depend on the Department need certainty to plan ahead for this growing season.”
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