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National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: Continuing Federal Funding Freeze Hurting Farmers-- Honor Legal Obligations

On February 12, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition organized more than 130 farmers, ranchers, and community advocates to call for urgent action on Capitol Hill around the ongoing federal funding freeze and critical farm bill and appropriations priorities.

Coalition members held nearly 150 meetings with key members of Congress, including House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders and agriculture appropriators.

Farmers and advocates from across the nation have gathered to share stories of how continued uncertainty and confusion from USDA and Congress are resulting in real-world impacts on farms and communities.

“The new Congress must make it a top priority to immediately halt and rectify the ongoing federal funding freeze before there are irreversible and devastating impacts to farmers and communities. Farmers are delaying planting decisions and owed tens of thousands of dollars in contract payments for infrastructure the federal government agreed to support months ago. Organizations are laying off staff, canceling events and programs, and halting critical community services for the hungry. This serves no one – it creates uncertainty, wastes money, and destroys trust in the federal government,” said Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director.

“We are entering our third year without a new farm bill, amidst a monthslong delay in FY25 appropriations and a new budget resolution that proposes hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to farm bill programs. We need leadership from lawmakers that is accountable to the needs of producers and communities. We are on the Hill to deliver that message and share our priorities today,” Lavender added.

The Coalition is calling on members of Congress to:

-- Act to ensure USDA honors its legal obligations and releases payments to farmers and organizations on signed contracts without delay to avoid causing any further impacts to farmers and the organizations that work with them.

-- Enact swift passage of a fiscal year (FY) 25 spending bill that sustains funding for critical sustainable agriculture programs.

-- Develop a new, comprehensive, and bipartisan farm bill that addresses Coalition priorities to advance conservation, reform the farm safety net, build resilient food and farm systems, and much more.

Click Here for the Coalition announcement.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has been a leader in agricultural policy for more than 35 years and has been instrumental in helping to develop some of our nation’s most successful agricultural programs for conserving natural resources, advancing the next generation of farmers, supporting agricultural research, and creating sustainable market connections.

NewsClips - Freeze:

-- AP: Federal Appeals Court Won’t Halt Judge’s Order Requiring President To Unfreeze All Federal Cash

-- AP: White House Says Federal Judges Going Against President’s Actions Are Provoking A ‘Constitutional Crisis’

-- CNN: Billions In Federal Funding Remain Frozen Despite Federal Court Orders To Keep The Taps Open

-- NYT: EPA Still Has Grants Frozen Despite 2 Federal Court Orders To End The Freeze

-- Grist: President’s Push For ‘Efficiency’ May Destroy The EPA; What Does That Mean For You?

-- Bloomberg: EPA Seeking To Claw Back $20 Billion In Awards From Federal Climate Law

-- The Hill: EPA Fires 388 Probationary Employees

-- EPA Places 171 DEIA And Environmental Justice Employees On Administrative Leave

-- Reuters: Sweeping US Dept. Of Energy Layoffs Of Up To 2,000 Hit Nuclear Weapons, Radiation Waste Sites, Funding Offices, Hydro Plants, National Labs

-- The Hill: Dept. Of The Interior Fires 2,300 Employees Who Were On Probationary Status

-- Politico: US Forest Service Fires 3,400 Probationary Employees After ‘Deferred Resignation’ Deadline Passes