U.S. Senators David Perdue (R-GA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) wrote this week to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to encourage the Trump administration to work with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to ensure that farmers affected by Hurricane Michael receive needed aid as soon as possible. They applauded Secretary Perdue for his support of disaster aid legislation signed into law on June 6, 2019.
 
The senators were joined in sending the letter by U.S. Representatives Buddy Carter (R-GA-01), Sanford Bishop, (D-GA-02), Austin Scott (R-GA-08), Rick Allen (R-GA-12), and David Scott (D-GA-13).
 
“We look forward to working with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure that disaster aid is delivered in a timely and effective manner so that producers affected by Hurricane Michael have the opportunity to rebuild their farms and livelihoods,” they wrote.
 
The senators and representatives offered additional guidance on specific recovery needs in Georgia as the disaster relief funding that was passed for Georgia and other states recovering from natural disasters is disbursed through federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
 
As Secretary Perdue works to “implement the more than $3 billion appropriated for the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program (WHIP),” the senators asked the administration to implement specific policies to meet the needs of agricultural sectors that suffered particularly severe damage from Hurricane Michael, including pecans, cotton, specialty crops, and forestry.
 
Earlier this month, President Donald J. Trump signed into law disaster relief funding that Perdue, Isakson and the Georgia delegation fought for months to secure for Georgians recovering from Hurricane Michael.