WASHINGTON — More than a year after Congress approved disaster relief for farmers impacted by Hurricane Helene, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is pressing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to finalize a long-delayed block grant agreement needed to release funding to Georgia producers.
In a letter sent this month to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, Ossoff called the delay “unacceptable,” noting that Georgia farmers are still waiting on relief despite Congress approving $21 billion in agricultural disaster funding in December 2024.
“It’s now been over a year since the United States Senate passed $21 billion in agricultural disaster funding for farmers in Georgia and across the Southeast,” Ossoff wrote. “Yet today, Georgia farmers are unacceptably still waiting for a block grant agreement to be finalized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”
Georgia requested the disaster funds be delivered through a block grant, allowing the state to distribute the money directly to farmers. While USDA and the State of Georgia announced in September that Georgia would receive $531 million in federal funding, the block grant agreement has not been finalized.
Other states have agreements in place
Ossoff noted that USDA has already completed block grant agreements with Florida, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
“The State of Georgia is ready. Georgia farmers are waiting for USDA,” he wrote.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture announced last month it has established a program to accept applications for the federal funding, but payments cannot be made until USDA finalizes the agreement.
Ossoff contrasted the delay with earlier disaster responses, noting that after Hurricane Michael it took Congress more than eight months to approve relief, while funding after Helene was passed in under 90 days.
The senator has repeatedly pressed USDA officials on the issue. In July, Ossoff requested an update from Rollins and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper on the status of the negotiations. In May, Ossoff questioned Rollins during a U.S. Senate hearing, when she said the funding would be made available “by the end of the month, hopefully in the next week.”
In February, Ossoff and Sen. Raphael Warnock urged USDA to prioritize swift distribution of the disaster assistance approved by Congress.
Ossoff said he will continue pushing USDA to release the funds secured for Georgia farmers following Hurricane Helene.
