Download Locations:
Summary:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers several permanently authorized programs to help farmers recover financially from a natural disaster, including federal crop insurance, the noninsured assistance program, and emergency disaster loans. Since 1988, Congress regularly has made supplemental financial assistance available to farmers and ranchers, primarily in the form of crop disaster payments and emergency livestock assistance. Both the House- and Senate-passed versions of the FY2007 Iraq war supplemental bills (H.R. 1591 and S. 965) contain titles that would provide assistance for crop and livestock losses in any one of the last three years -- 2005, 2006, or early 2007. The House bill provides total farm disaster aid of $3.4 billion, including an estimated $1.8 billion for crop losses, and $1.5 billion for livestock losses. The Senate measure contains just under $4.2 billion in agricultural assistance, including an estimated $2.1 billion for crop losses and $1.6 billion in livestock aid. The Senate measure also includes $100 million in grants to small, non-farm agricultural businesses in disaster areas. The Administration is opposed to any disaster aid that is not offset by other spending reductions, and has threatened to veto the supplemental appropriations bill primarily because of Iraq war-related provisions. This report will be updated as conditions warrant.
