National Association of Wheat Growers
Contact: Mariah Wollweber, 202.975.1249, mwollweber@wheatworld.org
Today (September 30, 2021), Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through December 3, 2021. The stopgap spending bill includes a disaster aid component, which provides $10 billion in agricultural disaster aid through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) in 2020 and 2021. Specifically, this bill includes language that would provide drought assistance to be triggered when counties experience D2 conditions for eight weeks on the U.S. Drought Monitor. Further, this bill includes previous causes of loss for WHIP+ and makes assistance for additional causes of losses experienced over the current and past year.
“Wheat growers across the United States have been experiencing an unprecedented drought and the relief provided today in the continuing resolution is much needed,” said NAWG CEO Chandler Goule. “NAWG applauds the House Ag Appropriations and Senate Ag Appropriations for their work on including these provisions in the continuing resolution, and the House Agriculture Committee for marking up the 2020 WHIP+ Reauthorization Act earlier this year that would incorporate many of these important improvements to WHIP+. While NAWG is glad lawmakers were able to come together today to avert a government shutdown that would have closed USDA offices across the country, we urge Congress to work together over the coming weeks to fund the federal government beyond December 3.”
NAWG will continue to work with Members of Congress on our fiscal year 2022 priorities and USDA as it works to deliver assistance for growers who experienced severe weather in 2020 and 2021.
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