FSA Offices Set to Reopen; Administration to Release $3B In Aid to Farmers

According to CBS News, the Trump administration will release about $3 billion in assistance to U.S. farmers despite the government shutdown.  According to a USDA spokesman, the Department is also planning to resume operations Thursday at the Farm Service Agency, which runs financial assistance and loan programs for farmers.  Many of the agency's operations were shuttered due to the government shutdown which started on October 1st.

President Trump told the Department to dole out the $3 billion in aid by tapping a fund that was used in his first term to aid farmers.

The House Agriculture Committee Democrats said on X that this shows that President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins “could have supported farmers all along"

Minnesota Representative  Angie Craig, the ranking Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, said the administration should have done this sooner to ensure that farmers can get the help they need.

“I am glad the Administration is finally doing right by America’s farmers by partially opening FSA offices, though I question why the administration waited so long and made this decision only after putting farmers through three weeks of uncertainty,” Craig said.

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