ICYMI: Coons, Merkley, Nunn op-ed in USA TODAY: “Trump foreign aid cuts hurt world’s mothers”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Appropriations Subcommittee that funds foreign assistance, today published an op-ed with CARE president and CEO Michelle Nunn in USA TODAY following their recent trip to India and Nepal as part of a learning tour with CARE, a global humanitarian organization working to reduce poverty by empowering women and girls.

USA TODAY: Trump foreign aid cuts hurt world’s mothers

By Chris Coons, Jeff Merkley, and Michelle Nunn

Should the United States continue to spend 1% of our budget on foreign aid? The answer was clear to us last month as we walked through a mountainside farm two hours outside of Kathmandu, Nepal.

There we met an inspirational mother named Sita, who showed us her small, once-barren plot of vegetables, now bursting with cabbage. Sita described how, with support from the U.S. government, she was able to join a women’s cooperative that teaches basic farming, harvesting and marketing techniques. Participants in the cooperative have seen their incomes soar, but the program has done far more than help them lift themselves out of the depths of poverty. 

Click here to read the full column.

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Coons, Senators Urge Trump Administration to Fully-Fund Office of National Drug Control Policy

[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on Comey firing: “My concern…is the FBI director was fired because it was beginning to get too close”

Sen Coons: “Either the president has fired the FBI director because he did not like how he treated Hillary Clinton or there’s real attempt of obstructing justice going on here”  

Sen Coons: “It just strains credibility that a guy who led chants of ‘Lock Her Up’ during his campaign is suddenly five months into his presidency really concerned over how Hillary Clinton was treated”  

Sen Coons: “This looks like a politically motivated firing where an attorney general who had recused himself interjected himself”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees, today joined CNN to discuss the firing of FBI Director James Comey by President Trump. 

“This is a gravely concerning moment. This is a moment where either the president has fired the FBI director because he did not like how he treated Hillary Clinton or there’s real attempt of obstructing justice going on here. This FBI investigation is picking up speed. My concern and the concern of many of my colleagues is the FBI director was fired because it was beginning to get too close,” said Senator Coons. “My concern is that this looks like a politically motivated firing where an attorney general who had recused himself interjected himself; where a president who had personal motivations to try and end an investigation into collusion between his campaign and Russians took a politically motivated action.” 

Full video and audio available here.

Excerpts from the interview:

Senator Coons on the interview with Roger Stone: That was striking. In that long and discursive interview, Roger Stone said a number of striking things. His understanding of FISA warrants and his open disrespect for the entire American intelligence community and repeated demands for evidence and insisting that this investigation should come to an end. I thought were all pretty striking. He is giving a full-throated defense of the Trump campaign, but I say there are significant and important questions that are not answered. The timing of President Trump’s directed firing of Director Comey raises more questions than answers. I’m joining many of my colleagues in insisting that in order to restore confidence in the FBI and its investigation both criminal and counterintelligence into possible collusion with the Trump campaign and Russia, we need an independent special counsel. 

Senator Coons on whether the Senate Intelligence Committee is capable of handling this: No, I do have confidence that the Senate Intelligence Committee is continuing to make real progress. I’m encouraged by public reports that they are beginning to issue subpoenas, that they’ve completed their document review, and that both Republican Chairman Richard Burr and Democratic Vice Chairman Mark Warner are signing letters, signing subpoenas, and making progress. The FBI investigation, the counterintelligence investigation, which is separate, needs to be done in a way that is independent. President Trump claimed that his reason for firing Director Comey was to restore confidence of the FBI because he was upset about the handling of Hillary Clinton’s e-mails. It just strains credibility that a guy who led chants of ‘Lock Her Up’ during his campaign is suddenly five months into his presidency and now really concerned over how Hillary Clinton was treated. 

Senator Coons on whether a special commission is needed: Well those are different things. A special commission I don’t think we have clarity that it’s is needed yet. That would require legislation and I frankly doubt Republicans in the Senate would stand up and support that. A special counsel can be appointed without any new legislative action. The most important thing here is for all of us in the Senate to get to the bottom of why Comey was fired. If President Trump doesn’t nominate as the next director of the FBI, someone who is a career federal prosecutor, then I think the questions are only going to get louder and the demands for independent counsel are only going to get stronger and more bipartisan. 

Senator Coons on whether they’ll hear from Rod Rosenstein: We should.  We’ve asked Majority Leader McConnell to put all senators in one room, on time and put in front of us Attorney General Sessions and ask why he did not respect his recusal from this matter and put Rod Rosenstein who’s idea it was and why the charging document wasn’t professional and did not cite relevant statue. That will give us more clarity who chose to fire the FBI Director, when, and why. If we know that information, we can take more appropriate steps. This is a gravely concerning moment. This is a moment where either the president has fired the FBI director because he did not like how he treated Hillary Clinton or there’s real attempt of obstructing justice going on here. This FBI investigation is picking up speed. My concern and concern of colleagues is the FBI director was fired because it was beginning to get too close. 

More on an independent investigation: I have a lot of respect for the professionals at the FBI. I know there are a lot of dedicated law enforcement officials in the Department of Justice and the FBI, career folks, who want to do their jobs. My concern is that this looks like it is a politically motivated firing where an attorney general who had recused himself interjected himself; where a president who had personal motivations to try and end an investigation into collusion between his campaign and Russians took a politically motivated action. If we cannot clear that cloud, how will the public, how will those of us in the Senate have confidence in whatever conclusion the FBI reaches? It is in our national best interest to get to the bottom of this. There is no doubt the Russians hacked our election in 2016. We need to protect our 2018 and 2020 elections. As we see the Russians take aggressive action towards our allies in Europe, we need to get to the bottom of 2016 if we are going to defend our democracy.

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Sen Coons on reports that Pres Trump will nominate Mark Green to lead USAID

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after reports that President Trump will nominate former Congressman Mark Green to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“I am encouraged by reports that President Trump will nominate Ambassador Mark Green to serve as the Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Ambassador Green has a record of addressing development and governance issues, from his service as the U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania and as a Member of Congress, to his leadership of organizations including the International Republic Institute, Initiative for Global Development, and U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.

“Leadership from someone like Ambassador Green is critical for USAID, but there’s no way Ambassador Green, or anyone for that matter, could effectively execute the mission of USAID under the proposed cuts and changes that President Trump is proposing for this critical agency.  Those cuts, proposed by President Trump’s initial FY 2018 budget would devastate the United States’ ability to conduct diplomacy and development and harm our national interests. USAID has addressed some of the most important development issues around the world for decades, and the Trump Administration should continue to support USAID’s mission.  

“As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I look forward to questioning Ambassador Green in a thorough nomination hearing about whether or not he discussed with the Trump Administration USAID funding, the value of USAID missions around the world, and the negative consequences of potentially merging USAID into the State Department.” 

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[VIDEO] Sen Coons on Fox News re health care: “The solution here won’t be found by either party acting alone”

Sen Coons: “We should work together and find a constructive answer that moves us all forward”  

Sen Coons: “I’m wide open to meeting with any of my colleagues who genuinely want to work across the aisle in a responsible way to fix what’s wrong with the Affordable Care Act”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Fox News’ Fox & Friends this morning to discuss Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. 

Watch the full interview here.

Transcript of Senator Coons during the interview:

“I think it’s a combination of things. I think there are some real challenges in having the exchanges work in the way they were intended to provide higher quality, more accessible health care for a broader number of Americans, but I also think the uncertainty about what direction the Trump Administration is going in terms of whether they’re going to continue to enforce provisions of the current Affordable Care Act makes it unstable in the marketplace. Unfortunately, we’re in a game of ‘chicken’ right now.  We can debate whether or not there’s a ‘death spiral’ or whether the Affordable Care Act is stable, but the reality in the meantime is lots of my constituents in Delaware are calling me and saying ‘what am I supposed to be doing for health care this year?’  We should work together and find a constructive answer that moves us all forward.

“If we want to keep the promises that President Trump made on the campaign trail and retain the pre-existing condition protection, and retain the Medicaid expansion, that is going to cost more money.  One of the things that happened last year was that – and I know this is technical – but something called risk-corridors, which were put in place to protect insurance companies from losing money in the marketplaces, was taken away, and so if that’s taken away, and the individual mandate is taken away, a lot of insurance executives say, ‘We just can’t make money in these marketplaces.’ That’s part of what’s going on.

“One of the challenges in health care is that it’s very complicated. So frankly the solution here won’t be found by either party acting alone.  There are things in the Affordable Care Act that I tried to fix in the last Congress. I introduced bills that would reduce some of the reporting and regulatory burden, and that would increase the size of the small business tax credit to help employers provide health care through the exchanges for their employees.  There are other fixes we can work on that’ll help reduce deductibles and improve quality, but that’s only going to happen if we genuinely work across the aisle.  That means that the current Senate Majority is going to have to stop trying to do this only on their own. The reason I predicted we might not see a Senate bill for another year is because it’s just that complicated. I wasn’t part of the Congress when they passed the Affordable Care Act, but I do think it has done great things for our country. It does have flaws that we need to work together to fix.

“Democratic leadership doesn’t tell me who to talk to.  I’m wide open to meeting with any of my colleagues who genuinely want to work across the aisle in a responsible way to fix what’s wrong with the Affordable Care Act.”

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on explanation for Comey firing: “This is hard to square with reality”

Sen. Coons: “If this really was the reason for his firing, why wasn’t he fired in the first few days of the Trump administration?”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees, last night joined CNN to discuss the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

“That is exactly why this is hard to square with reality. The Trump administration has been in place for six months now. There are no new developments here. His handling of the Clinton email issue was questioned, was criticized by many at the time, but that’s not a new or recent development,” said Senator Coons. “And it doesn’t seem as if it is a full justification of why President Trump would take this action at this time. Just in the last few days, we’ve had concerning testimony from Sally Yates, the fired former acting Attorney General, that suggests there’s more going on with the National Security Advisor General Flynn than was previously understood. And, my concern is that we now have to take strong action to ensure that the American people can be confident that the FBI is capable of an independent investigation into this topic. That the Senate Intelligence Committee remains capable of an independent and effective investigation into this topic, and it may well be time for us to have a special counsel appointed so there is more confidence in the independence of the investigation that is not yet concluded.” 

“That’s about as brazen and aggressive a way you could fire somebody, and, as you just referenced in the previous segment here, President Trump’s letter saying, you have told me three times I am not under investigation, just seems to protest too much the idea that there is nothing going on here other than sort of clearing the decks,” said Senator Coons. “And, I’ll remind you, FBI Director Comey is just in the third year of his ten-year term. If this really was the reason for his firing, why wasn’t he fired in the first few days of the Trump administration?”

Full video and audio available here.

Excerpts from the interview:

Senator Coons on the firing of FBI Director Comey: “This was a simply stunning development. Not just because of the timing, but also because of the justification. It’s striking to me that the Attorney General who had recused himself from involvement in the investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign, the Trump administration, and Russia, had a direct role, had a hand in this decision to fire the FBI Director, the Director who is responsible oversight of the agency that we recently learned is conducting an ongoing investigation into that exact matter. So, it is striking, and I think this deserves unique focus and attention in a bipartisan way in Congress in the coming days.”

More on Comey’s firing: “That is exactly why this is hard to square with reality. The Trump administration has been in place for six months now. There are no new developments here. His handling of the Clinton email issue was questioned, was criticized by many at the time, but that’s not a new or recent development. And it doesn’t seem as if it is a full justification of why President Trump would take this action at this time. Just in the last few days, we’ve had concerning testimony from Sally Yates, the fired former acting Attorney General, that suggests there’s more going on with the National Security Advisor General Flynn than was previously understood. And, my concern is that we now have to take strong action to ensure that the American people can be confident that the FBI is capable of an independent investigation into this topic. That the Senate Intelligence Committee remains capable of an independent and effective investigation into this topic, and it may well be time for us to have a special counsel appointed so there is more confidence in the independence of the investigation that is not yet concluded.”

More on Comey’s firing: “Not at all. And, in fact, the way that the firing was done was particularly striking. Director Comey is a respected career, law enforcement official, public servant, and he was fired essentially through the press. He found out that he had been fired while he was speaking to FBI personnel in Los Angeles, and there were press reports that a letter had been delivered to the FBI headquarters. That’s about as brazen and aggressive a way you could fire somebody, and, as you just referenced in the previous segment here, President Trump’s letter saying, you have told me three times I am not under investigation, just seems to protest too much the idea that there is nothing going on here other than sort of clearing the decks. And, I’ll remind you, FBI Director Comey is just in the third year of his ten-year term. If this really was the reason for his firing, why wasn’t he fired in the first few days of the Trump administration?” 

Senator Coons on what to do now: “That’s the core challenge that we face. As I understand it, under existing statute, a special counsel could be appointed by the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. That would require Republicans to stand up and say, as well as Democrats, that we have real concerns, that we think we have to do more to restore independence to this investigation, and to express concerns. So far, we’ve heard from the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee who has expressed some of those exact concerns and a few other senior Republicans. But, frankly, it is my hope that in the interest of restoring the rule of law, in the interest of restoring public confidence and the respect for the United States internationally, as a country where this is a separation between partisan politics and the FBI and the Department of Justice, that this important step will be taken.”

Senator Coons on why people should have confidence: “Well, I think there’s a lot that has to be done to restore and ensure that confidence. I’ll remind you that the escapade with Congressman Devin Nunes on the House Intelligence Committee really set that investigation off track. Really took them off track for a number of weeks. But, they’ve not reconstituted themselves. I’m optimistic that the Senate Intelligence Committee continues to operate in a bipartisan way and that there are Republicans and Democrats that on that committee willing to stand up to the president and willing to issue subpoenas if necessary and required, and that they’ve got the staff and the determination to get to the bottom of it. As for the FBI, I think that is going to take some work, and I think it’s going to require the career professionals who run the investigation and the current leadership of the Department of Justice, most principally Rod Rosenstein, to step forward and take strong action to restore that confidence, that confidence in the independence of the investigation.”

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[VIDEO] Senator Coons on Comey last night on MSNBC

Sen. Coons: “That’s the real question.  Can the FBI continue to conduct an independent investigation into the possibility that there was collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians?”  

Sen. Coons: “It is hard for me to believe that the entire reason for his firing is what was proffered by the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General”  

Sen. Coons: “I would support the appointment of an independent prosecutor or a special counsel to manage this investigation going forward. I think our critical question has to be: can they really be independent?”

WASHINGTON – Last night, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees, joined MSNBC’s Chris Hayes to discuss the firing of FBI Director James Comey. 

Full audio and video available here. 

Excerpts from MSNBC interview:

“Why did President Trump wait until now to fire Director Jim Comey? The cited reasons are all public facts that have been known for months, and while there have been some who have questioned and criticized the FBI Director for his handling of the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s email last fall…the Trump Administration hasn’t made any previous comments about it, and that’s what they cite as their justification for firing him abruptly today.”

“That’s the real question.  Can the FBI continue to conduct an independent investigation into the possibility that there was collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians?”

“It is hard for me to believe that the entire reason for his firing is what was proffered by the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General, and so I think we need to focus on whether or not the Senate Intelligence Committee is going to be allowed to, able to continue its bipartisan independent investigation, whether or not the FBI will be able to conduct an independent investigation, and I think we ought to recall FBI Director Comey to the Senate Judiciary Committee and ask him to testify about whether in his opinion this investigation has been compromised.“

On the potential appointment of a special prosecutor: “I think that’s something that’s almost certainly called for now…What really matters is independence, and I have some questions now about whether we’re going to be able to get someone who is a career prosecutor, who is able to conduct themselves independent of any interference, particularly given that the Attorney General, who had recused himself from the Russia investigation, played a role in this firing of the FBI Director. I would support the appointment of an independent prosecutor or a special counsel to manage this investigation going forward. I think our critical question has to be: can they really be independent?”

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Corker, Coons NYT op-ed on food aid reform, their recent trip to Uganda

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Sen. Corker is the committee’s Chair) published an op-ed in today’s New York Times about their recent trip to the world’s largest refugee settlement at Bidi Bidi in northern Uganda.

Read the full op-ed here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/opinion/a-better-way-to-help-the-world.html?ref=opinion&_r=0. 

Excerpts from Sen Corker and Coons’ op-ed:

“When many Americans think of famine, they might picture parched fields or dried-up riverbeds caused by drought. But most famines are not natural disasters; they are man-made, the result of war and violence. The fighting in South Sudan, and the ripple of misery it has generated into surrounding countries, are no exception.”

“The United States contributes at least a third of food aid dollars spent globally, but we cannot tackle this challenge alone. In addition to using current resources more efficiently, we must also exert American leadership and call on other countries to step up their efforts by donating desperately needed resources to avert further suffering, violence, and instability.” 

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Carper, Coons urge GOP leadership to drop repeal efforts and commit to bipartisanship to improve America’s healthcare system

WASHINGTON, DC – Senators Carper and Coons (both D-DE) joined a in a letter to today urging Senate Republican Leaders to drop current repeal efforts and work in a bipartisan way to reform America’s healthcare system.

“We write to request that the Senate work in a bipartisan, open and transparent way to improve and reform the health care system,” wrote the Senators. “Democrats stand ready – as we always have — to develop legislation with Republicans that will improve quality, lower costs, and expand coverage for all Americans. But Republicans need to set aside their current partisan efforts and work with us to get this done.”

The Senators continued, “We urge you to drop the current partisan effort to repeal and replace health care reform through reconciliation.  We also urge you to discourage the ongoing effort by the Administration to de-stabilize the health care marketplace, which could lead to rising insurance premiums for all and make it harder for families to access health care. If repeal is abandoned, we stand ready to work with you to help all Americans get the affordable health care they need. ”

The Democrats said that the House of Representatives’ recently passed bill was not only rushed through without a CBO score, but the underlying bill could still result in millions of Americans losing health coverage altogether. In addition to raising costs and decreasing care, the bill also eliminates hundreds of billions from state Medicaid programs, while diminishing consumer protections for those with pre-existing conditions, women, and more.

On top of this, the current administration has been working to de-stabilize the current healthcare market so it can point to this as evidence that the system needs replacing; Senate Democrats urged the GOP to discourage these efforts that only hurt Americans and set reform efforts back. Instead, Senate Democrats are urging Republicans and their leadership to drop repeal efforts and come to the table. All 48 members said they stand ready to reform the current system and work in a bipartisan way to come up with solutions that reduce costs and increase care for millions of Americans.

The text of their letter is below:

Dear Leader McConnell, Chairman Alexander and Chairman Hatch:

We write to request that the Senate work in a bipartisan, open and transparent way to improve and reform the health care system. Democrats stand ready – as we always have — to develop legislation with Republicans that will improve quality, lower costs, and expand coverage for all Americans. But Republicans need to set aside their current partisan efforts and work with us to get this done.

Last week, the House passed a partisan bill that will dramatically increase the cost of health insurance for those who need it most and lower the quality of coverage. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the underlying bill would result in 24 million Americans losing health insurance, while facing increased costs. The House passed bill also eliminates $880 billion from state Medicaid programs and important patient and consumer protections – especially for women and all those with pre-existing conditions.  Finally, the House bill was passed without a final official cost or coverage estimate from CBO and may contain provisions that violate the Senate’s rules regarding the privileged reconciliation process.

We urge you to drop the current partisan effort to repeal and replace health care reform through reconciliation.  We also urge you to discourage the ongoing effort by the Administration to de-stabilize the health care marketplace, which could lead to rising insurance premiums for all and make it harder for families to access health care. If repeal is abandoned, we stand ready to work with you to help all Americans get the affordable health care they need.  Instead of trying to change the House’s “repeal and replace” legislation, which has an uncertain path to the President’s desk, you could instead choose to work with us on a bipartisan health reform package that can garner 60 votes in the Senate and pass the House with Republican and Democratic votes.

Working together to improve health care requires an open and transparent process that includes public hearings, an open amendment process, and ample time for debate in the full Senate. There are a number of issue areas we want to work on with you, including:

·       Reducing the cost of prescription drugs

·       Decreasing the cost of premiums without cutting the quality of benefits

·       Making the cost of care more affordable by reducing out-of-pocket costs

·       Stabilizing and strengthening the insurance market

·       Helping more struggling families get covered

·       Making it easier and less expensive for small businesses to provide health care

We look forward to your response and working with you in a bipartisan process to improve the health care system for all Americans.

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Carper, Coons join bipartisan call for Farm Service Agency loan funding

WASHINGTON, DC – Senators Carper and Coons (both D-DE) joined a bipartisan group of 28 Senators in a letter to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture urging them to support robust funding for the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) loan programs. FSA provides direct loans and loan guarantees to help struggling family farmers start and maintain viable farming operations.

“These loans are cost-efficient and work in tandem with private credit to serve farmers in need,” wrote the Senators. “Because of these loans, family farmers can get their crops in the ground and continue to serve their customers, even during tough economic times. Without FSA loans, these farmers would lack access to the operating capital that is necessary for any farm business to stay afloat.” 

“Any cut in FSA loan funding would cause great hardship for our nation’s farmers, and hit new, small, and other underserved farmers the hardest,” continued the Senators. “With agricultural economists predicting no end in the near future to depressed commodity prices and the resulting downturn in the overall farm economy, it is all the more important to ensure that our nation’s farmers have the capital they need to continue to invest in their businesses.”

FSA loans aim to help small farms that cannot otherwise obtain favorable credit, including beginning farmers, women and minorities, and other disadvantaged borrowers. FSA’s loan programs include operating loans, which fund expenses such as livestock, equipment and seed, and ownership loans that help farmers develop land. Recent years have seen increased demand for FSA’s loan programs. In June 2016, hundreds of farmers whose loans had already been approved could not receive the funds due to a shortfall in funding for FSA operating loans. As a result, Congress was forced to pass an emergency appropriation in December of 2016 to address the shortfall.

The letter has been endorsed by the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, National Farmers Union, Farm Credit Council, American Bankers Association, Independent Community Bankers of America, and Opportunity Finance Network.

Carper and Coons were joined in the letter by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Gary Peters (D-MI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jon Tester (D-MT), John Thune (R-SD), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

You can read the full letter below.

Dear Chairs and Ranking Members:

As you begin consideration of fiscal year 2018 appropriations legislation, we request that you support robust funding for the Farm Service Agency’s loan programs, particularly direct and guaranteed farm operating loans as well as farm ownership loans. We urge you to provide funding sufficient to fully meet loan demand from beginning, small, and other underserved farms that rely on FSA loans. In light of the President’s FY18 Budget request, which would reduce USDA funding by 21% and could endanger critical programs like FSA loans, we ask that you provide appropriations at or above FY17 levels and carefully consider the importance of these farm loan programs.

As you know, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides direct loans and loan guarantees for beginning and small farms, along with established family farms, that are unable to secure adequate credit. These FSA loans serve the most disadvantaged farmers in our farm sector, including beginning, historically underserved, and veteran farmers, who depend on reliable credit to stay in business. FSA’s operating loan programs provide these farmers with direct loans up to $300,000, as well as loan guarantees up to $1.4 million, to fund annual operating expenses such as livestock, equipment, feed, seed, and fertilizer. Ownership loans help family farms afford land and refinance when they are struggling economically. These loans are cost-efficient and work in tandem with private credit to serve farmers in need. Because of these loans, family farmers can get their crops in the ground and continue to serve their customers, even during tough economic times. Without FSA loans, these farmers would lack access to the operating capital that is necessary for any farm business to stay afloat.

The President’s FY18 Budget requests only $17.9 billion for USDA, a $4.7 billion or 21% decrease from the 2017 continuing resolution level. Although FSA has not yet released its FY18 budget request, program levels consistent with the Department’s overall reductions would significantly jeopardize FSA programs. Any cut in FSA loan funding would cause great hardship for our nation’s farmers, and hit new, small, and other underserved farmers the hardest. With agricultural economists predicting no end in the near future to depressed commodity prices and the resulting downturn in the overall farm economy, it is all the more important to ensure that our nation’s farmers have the capital they need to continue to invest in their businesses.

FSA loan programs are already facing high demand from farmers whose incomes have declined in recent years, and program funding is already stretched thin. In June 2016, FSA operating loans faced a significant funding shortfall, and hundreds of farmers whose loans had already been approved could not receive the funds they needed until Congress passed emergency appropriations in December 2016. This shortfall in loan funding and the resulting backlog of farmers waiting for credit has become an all too common trend in recent years. Current projections indicate that FSA will also face FY17 shortfalls in farm operating and ownership loans and guarantees. Without sufficient and timely FSA loans, farmers in need will have no liquid funds, no ability to purchase equipment and other necessities for the planting season, and no choice but to curtail operations.

Amounts below past totals or in line with the President’s FY18 Budget would undoubtedly and irreversibly harm our nation’s farmers, their families, and our communities. We therefore ask that you provide robust funding, at or above the levels in the Senate and House FY17 Agriculture Appropriations bills, to address expected 2018 loan demand and ensure that shortfalls do not occur in the operating loan programs and other FSA loan programs. 

Thank you for your consideration of these programs and your dedication to our nation’s farmers.