In the wake of Hurricane Helene, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) have come together to lead a bipartisan push for federal relief to the agriculture industry.
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, Ossoff and Scott joined Georgia’s entire Congressional Delegation and urged members of Congress and President Joe Biden’s administration to bring disaster relief funding to agricultural producers in areas impacted by the recent Category 4 storm.
“To prevent deep and lasting economic damage to the agricultural industry in the southeastern United States, it is imperative that Congress make appropriations as soon as possible upon the completion of damage assessments to fully fund unmet agricultural disaster relief needs in our states and across the nation,” Ossoff and Scott wrote to congressional leadership. “Farmers and growers nationwide, not only those damaged by Helene, have now faced multiple growing seasons without sufficient federal support. Our constituents are counting on us to act swiftly.”
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee were among the states ravaged by Helene. Federal officials say up to 600 people are still unaccounted for since the storm hit late last week.
“Federal agricultural disaster assistance is essential to help our states and our nation recover,” Ossoff and Scott wrote. “We urge you to work with the administration to ensure disaster relief resources are made available to our growers. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to working with you to secure these critical resources.”
