Peace Garden News

Senator John Hoeven, a Republican from North Dakota and the Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, has led an initiative requesting a review by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) of how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) implemented disaster assistance for losses that occurred in 2022. This action follows a previous effort by Hoeven and House Agriculture Appropriations Committee Chairman Andy Harris, urging USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to reverse changes made to the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) 2022.

The senators argue that these changes contradict both statutory requirements and Congressional intent, potentially diminishing the effectiveness of the $3.7 billion allocated to aid farmers and ranchers affected by natural disasters. "In the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Congress included $3.7 billion for USDA to assist farmers and ranchers impacted by natural disasters in 2022," wrote the senators. They emphasized that their intention was for USDA to administer this program similarly to its predecessor programs, which were well-received.

The letter requesting GAO's review was co-signed by several other senators including John Boozman from Arkansas, Roger Marshall from Kansas, Pete Ricketts from Nebraska, James Lankford from Oklahoma, Cindy Hyde-Smith from Mississippi, Steve Daines from Montana, Kevin Cramer also from North Dakota, John Thune from South Dakota, Tommy Tuberville from Alabama, Mike Rounds again from South Dakota, and Markwayne Mullin also from Oklahoma.