A day after Governor Brian Kemp demanded action on for Georgia farmers impacted by Hurricane Michael, U.S. Senators David Perdue (R-GA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) expressed their disappointment in Congress’ failure to deliver critical disaster aid to assist in recovery efforts from natural disasters in 2018 and 2019.
It has been six months since Georgia took a direct hit from Hurricane Michael.
“This lack of funding has put Georgia farmers at the breaking point. It is a shame that politics has again gotten in the way of aid for the people of our states who are in desperate need and for farmers who put food on our tables,” said Senator Isakson. “I am extremely disappointed that Congress will be leaving for a two-week state work period without a resolution and much-needed funding on the way for our states, which have already been pressed to cover disaster recovery expenses beyond what they can afford.
“We’ve asked Democrats to help the residents of our states,” Isakson added. “This is a disaster bill, and it’s not about politics, it’s about getting all Americans the help they need. I’m eager to work to get it done so farmers can get loans and get back to work.”
According to information from both Isakson and Perdue’s offices, the senators have “worked to negotiate in good faith since 2018” on a bipartisan disaster relief package to provide funding across the continental United States as well as Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands for regions that have experienced droughts, flooding, hurricanes, storms, volcanoes, wildfires, and other natural disasters.
Many of these states, including Georgia, have not received the federal disaster assistance they were promised months ago.
“Democrats ought to be ashamed of themselves for holding hostage farmers in the Southeast, fire victims in California, earthquake victims in Alaska, and flood victims in the upper Midwest,” said Senator Perdue. “This is yet another example of Democrat obstructionism. Last weekend, Senate Republican appropriators made another fair offer, but Democrats outright rejected it. President Trump and Senate Republicans have been more than reasonable in dealing with Democrats’ requests throughout this process. Previous disaster relief packages were not held up like this.
“Farmers in Georgia and across the country are missing planting season right now because Democrats have been unwilling to negotiate,” Perdue continued. “Time is of the essence, and we must get this disaster relief done immediately, so those who have lost everything can rest assured that help is on the way.”
Gov. Kemp and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black spoke out about the lack of disaster funding Wednesday. In a letter sent to each member of the Georgia congressional delegation, Kemp and Black said the delay “confounds our understanding” and plunges farmers into more uncertainty as another planting season approaches.
“Georgia farmers, who suffered generational losses during Hurricane Michael, are on the verge of bankruptcy,” said Kemp. “Yet a handful of vindictive politicians refuse to end the gridlock and provide the resources these hard-working Americans so desperately need.
“This gridlock exposes the rotten core of some in Congress. They would rather crush an entire industry – destroying the livelihood of countless Americans – than do something that the opposition party wants. This dire situation highlights the brokenness in Washington. We have reached a low point as a nation.
“We refuse to excuse the political games that exploit our farmers and discount the dire situation in Southwest Georgia. We will not settle for gridlock that compromises the future of so many hardworking Georgians. This is not an empty threat from a red state governor. This is a promise – we will not stand down until Congress stands up for our farmers.”
Agriculture is Georgia’s largest – and oldest – industry, employing one in seven Georgians and contributing $74 billion to the state’s economy annually. Hurricane Michael made landfall on October 10th as the third-most intense hurricane in our nation’s history, dealing $2.5 billion in damage to Georgia crops alone.
