U.S. Congressional leaders continue to debate a $1.4 trillion omnibus bill and $900 billion coronavirus relief package.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) today announced:
“Yesterday, leaders in the Senate, House, and the Secretary of Treasury reached a major agreement that struggling Americans have needed for months,” McConnell says. “We’re going to pass another historic rescue package to help American families through this pandemic.”
The coronavirus relief package contains “major funding for K-12 schools,” featuring new investments in rural broadband. It also includes $280 billion to “reopen the Payment Protection Program” and $26 billion for nutrition assistance and agriculture and rural programs.
The House Agriculture Committee earlier today offered an overview of agriculture and nutrition provisions in the COVID relief package. Key provisions include:
- $11.1875 billion to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus by providing support to agricultural producers, growers, and processors. From this amount, the Secretary will:
- Shall make supplemental Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments for the 2020 crop year to producers of price trigger crops who meet a defined market trigger
- Shall make payments to livestock and poultry growers for losses suffered due to depopulation because of insufficient processing access due to COVID-19 market impacts
- Shall use no less than $20 million to improve and maintain animal disease prevention and response capacity
- Shall use no less than $1.5 billion to purchase food and agricultural product, including seafood
- May make payments to producers of advanced biofuel, biomass-based diesel, cellulosic biofuel, conventional biofuel, or renewable fuels with market losses due to COVID-19
Congress also plans to pass “a full year of government funding.” Leader McConnell says, “This year’s bill also tackles important domestic priorities. Everything from agricultural research to the fight against opioid abuse to border security and law enforcement are provided for.”
