USDA reopens 2,100 aid offices despite closures

The Agriculture Department will reopen about 2,100 district offices across the country on Thursday despite the restrictions imposed Ongoing government shutdown To help farmers and ranchers get $3 billion in aid from existing programs.

The USDA said each Farm Service Agency office will have two workers who will be paid despite the government remaining close. These offices help farmers apply for farm loans, crop insurance, disaster assistance and other programs. Thousands of other federal employees such as air traffic controllers Unpaid work During lockdown.

A USDA spokesperson said the move reflects President Trump’s commitment to helping farmers and ranchers, who have traditionally been some of his strongest supporters. More recently, some of them have been unhappy with Trump’s recent moves even though his support remains strong throughout rural America.

Just this week, The plantation owners were unhappy With Trump’s idea Import more beef from Argentina because it might hurt their profits, and earlier this month Soybean farmers complained A $20 billion aid package to Argentina allowed that country to sell soybeans to China. Farmers are still waiting for details The aid package promised by Trump To help them survive his trade war with China, but this aid has been suspended due to the lockdown.

“President Trump will not allow the extreme left-wing Democrats’ shutdown to impact vital USDA services while harvests are underway across the country,” a USDA spokesperson said.

A White House official said the administration is using money from the Commodity Credit Corporation, a USDA agency that processes agricultural prices. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the administration’s plans have not yet been announced.

Republicans like Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Sen. Chuck Grassley, and North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven, along with agricultural groups like the National Corn Growers Association and the Illinois Soybean Association, praised the move while Democrats accused the administration of using farmers as political pawns in the shutdown battle. The two parties were unable to reach an agreement to finance the government and end the closure that began on October 1.

Thune said reopening these offices, as he has been urging the administration to do, will allow farmers to access vital services in the middle of the harvest season.

“Like so many hardworking Americans, producers in South Dakota and across the country — who work tirelessly to provide quality food to our nation — are hurting by Senate Democrats’ reckless government shutdown,” Thune said.

This is a crucial time because farmers are preparing to place seed and fertilizer orders for next year right now as well as settling with bankers on this year’s operating loans, said Kenneth Hartman Jr., president of the Corn Growers Association. Farmers face rising costs.

“Because of the inflation factor, the farm economy is really in a tight spot here,” said Hartman, who is in the middle of harvesting his crop near Waterloo, Ill. “So anything that farmers can get when it comes to support from farm programs from last year’s farm bill, we need to open it up and get that money to them.”

Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee said on Program

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

“I’m glad the administration finally did the right thing by American farmers by partially opening the FSA offices, although I wonder why the administration waited so long and only made this decision after putting farmers in limbo for three weeks." Craig said.