Ernst, Iowa Colleagues Urge Congressional Leaders to Replenish Funds for Farmers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) led her Iowa colleagues in urging Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to ensure funds for the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) are replenished in the upcoming government funding bill.

 

Ernst, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, along with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Representatives Cindy Axne, (D-IA), Abby Finkenauer (D-IA), Steve King (R-IA), and Dave Loebsack (D-IA) called on the congressional leaders to replenish CCC funds to ensure farmers are supported, especially during COVID-19, drought recovery, and the aftermath of the August derecho.

 

In their letter, Ernst and her colleagues write, “ In Iowa, our farmers have not only suffered lost markets and disrupted supply chains from the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have also been dealing with drought conditions and the destruction caused by the recent derecho which destroyed thousands of acres of crops and farmland. On top of all of this, farmers are planning to receive farm payments this fall and these resources cannot be taken away when they need it the most. Not providing additional funds to the CCC will delay their payments.”

 

Background:

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) includes support for farm income stabilization, livestock programs, conservation efforts, and dairy supports for Iowa’s agriculture community. Senator Ernst worked with her colleagues on a bipartisan basis to ensure the 2018 Farm Bill included these important programs to help support farmers and producers in Iowa and across the country.

 

Last week, Ernst spoke on the Senate floor to urge her colleagues to replenish funds for the CCC to support the programs Iowa farmers and producers depend on.

 

In May, Ernst commended the administration for providing direct relief to farmers as a result of the CARES Act, which included Commodity Credit Corporation funds that the senator helped bolster.

 

In April, Ernst  called for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide additional funds to the biofuel industry through the CCC and introduced legislation that would help ensure support is provided to biofuel producers negatively impacted by the pandemic.

 

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