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USDA’s Farm Service Agency to resume core activities in shutdown

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says the USDA’s Farm Service Agency will resume core operations on Thursday, including farm loan processing, farm program payments and other programs.

Dusty Johnson, a U.S. Congressman from South Dakota, tells Brownfield local FSA offices should be open a few days during the week, and it’s helpful to have employees available for farmers, especially to co-sign checks.

“The producer needs that check counter-signed and normally, it’s just a quick trip to the FSA. But when the offices are closed, the producer is unable to cash the check. That creates a real cash-flow problem.”

The White House says there will be two county office employees in every county office, five days each week, performing normal functions for Commodity Credit Corporation funded programs, while accepting information related to programs funded by alternative sources.

The CCC programs include the Ag Risk Coverage Program, Price Loss Coverage Program, Marketing Assistance Loans, Conservation Reserve Program, Dairy Margin Coverage Program, Livestock Indemnity Program and others. Intake only programs include direct and guaranteed farm loans, the Emergency Livestock Revenue Program, Supplemental Disaster Relief Program – Phase 1 and others.

October is the time of the year when farm program, conservation and disaster program payments are typically distributed from USDA to farmers, but there has been a delay due to the shutdown.

A USDA spokesperson said President Trump is committed to supporting America’s farmers and ranchers and this action will release billions in assistance for farmers.

USDA offices can be open for limited, specific services during a government shutdown if it doesn’t violate certain rules.

The USDA allowed FSA offices to remain open during the 2018 – 2019 government shutdown. In a report, the Government Accountability Office said the Trump administration’s USDA violated the Antideficiency Act, because it recalled employees in all county offices back to work when it lacked budget authority. The GAO said the next time it happened, the office would consider such violations as knowing and willful violations. Violating the act can lead to prison time and removal from office.

The U.S. government shutdown has continued for four weeks, and Johnson says frustration is building in the U.S. House.

“In the House, we voted on a bipartisan basis to keep the government open. We’re happy to vote that way again and again. The ball is in the Senate’s court.”

He says the longer the U.S. government is shutdown, the longer farmers won’t have access to important programs they need at the USDA.