USDA’s $19 billion in COVID-19 relief for farmers and food banks sparks serious questions about who will benefit

While some industry trade associations, hunger relief organizations, and federal lawmakers welcomed the Trump administration’s new pledge to provide $19 billion in relief from the coronavirus pandemic to farmers and food banks nationwide, policy groups, and reporters highlighted that the announcement lacked critical details about who will benefit.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the plan at a Friday night press briefing with President Donald Trump. The president said that “the program will include direct payments to farmers as well as mass purchases of dairy, meat, and agricultural produce to get that food to the people in need.”

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), which joined with over 750 groups earlier this month in pressuring Perdue to directly help farmers who rely on local and regional markets, tweeted Friday that the plan was “progress” but still “lacks critical details to confirm whether it will actually reach all who need it.” Continue reading.