FETTERMAN ASKS USDA FOR ANSWERS: In a letter provided exclusively to MA, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Democrats on the Senate Ag Committee’s nutrition subpanel asked USDA to detail how the debt limit deal will affect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The lawmakers said they “remain concerned about the changes to eligibility and increases to work requirements overall,” and are seeking more information on how the changes will impact the SNAP population. What they’re asking for: The group asks USDA to detail the net change to the SNAP population as a result of the new laws enacted in the debt limit deal, and for a timeline of when the USDA will release state-level changes. It also asks USDA to break down the net changes on a national level by race, ethnicity, gender and age. And it asks USDA for its strategy to communicate the new eligibility changes to affected participants. Why it matters: The debt deal increased the number of SNAP recipients who have to meet more complex work requirements, and created new exemptions for homeless individuals, veterans and youth aging out of foster care. The agency is now under immense pressure from Democrats to enact those new exemptions swiftly, but it is a herculean task. USDA’s response to Fetterman will be an early indication of how the agency intends to execute the new work requirements. It will also provide new, official demographic data on how the juiced-up work requirements will affect recipients. AVIAN FLU: Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss) are zeroing in on a new way to help farmers weather outbreaks of avian flu. 2022 was the deadliest outbreak on record, affecting nearly every state and forcing culls of more than 50 million birds. Coons has a particular interest: Delaware is a top poultry-producing state, with around 1,300 commercial poultry farms and $5 billion in sales last year. Their bill, which the senators plan to introduce next month, would expand eligibility for farmers to get checks from USDA who are forced to cull their herds or keep their poultry barns empty for an extended period of time. The bill also boasts support from the National Chicken Council, which represents poultry processors, and more than a dozen state farm bureaus, according to a Senate aide granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations. “This bipartisan bill would ensure that every farmer who does their part to contain an outbreak is fairly compensated for their financial harm, and it simplifies the compensation process so farmers can get back on their feet quickly after losing their flock,” Coons said in a statement. Eleven co-sponsors include senators on the left, such as Fetterman, and on the right, like Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). According to the aide, Coons and Wicker aim to include the proposed legislation in the farm bill. Ag committee ranking member Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) is not on the bill, but Coons has worked closely with his and Chair Debbie Stabenow’s (D-Mich.) staff, the aide said. Background: Chicken farmers often take on enormous loans to build highly specialized barns to raise tens of thousands of chickens. Nearly all chickens are raised on contract with major poultry processing companies such as Tyson or Pilgrim’s Pride. During an outbreak, USDA policy sometimes prevents companies from placing birds in areas where flocks were recently contaminated — known as control areas. That means farmers, many of whom already struggle with tight margins, don’t get paid. Historically, such as during the 2014-15 outbreak, the control area blocked placements for weeks. But the most recent outbreak was much worse, and USDA had to stop poultry farming in some areas for months.
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