House Ag Subcommittee statement on Second Market Facilitation Program at USDA

“The announcement from USDA leaves far more questions than answers, and the Department has provided dangerously little detail about how this most recent bailout will operate. What we do know is that this is the second time USDA has been asked to provide a supposed ‘one-time’ fix for the problems the Administration has caused for our farmers.  Even more concerning are reports that more than half of the Administration’s previously issued bailout funds were paid to only 10 percent of U.S. farmers. What we have now is a pattern of a President making impulsive decisions that damage the farm economy, only to just as impulsively direct USDA to spend billions in taxpayer money on a temporary fix. That’s as irresponsible as it is inept, and it takes time, money and energy away from things USDA should be doing, like implementing the farm bill and feeding hungry Americans.”