Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Honor Farmer Contracts Act to release withheld funding for all contracts and agreements USDA previously entered.
“Farmers and the organizations that serve them operate on tight margins and cannot be left waiting for weeks and months without funding they rightfully planned for and need to keep operating,” Booker said in a news release.
USDA froze funding allocated under the Inflation Reduction Act for review, and has so far released $20 million in contracts for the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. Previously obligated funding under the Rural Energy For America Program, Empowering Rural America and Powering Affordable Clean Energy programs was also released.
