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NAWG calls out Congress on shutdown

 

UPDATE: The U.S. Senate reached an agreement this morning and has voted to re-open the government… after Congress failed to pass legislation Friday to avert a government shutdown. The House passed the agreement Monday night.

The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) is calling out Congress for failing to avert a federal government shutdown – and says the shutdown will directly impact farmers across the country.

NAWG president Gordon Stoner, a Montana farmer, says shutting down the government means vital agencies like USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) local offices are closed or functioning on a limited basis.”

He says that means growers won’t have access to data and reports needed for planting and harvesting, farm loans and credit, and other critical services needed to run their operations. And, he says, it means Congress has not taken any action on the Fiscal Year 2018 funding bill which holds wheat research provisions that would help farmers. Stoner says the failure is irresponsible and calls on Congress to immediately get the government running again.

Meanwhile, the shutdown reportedly will affect 70-percent of USDA employees. According to Politico, that’s the percentage of workers to be furloughed. That’s 14 percent fewer USDA workers furloughed in the 2013 government shutdown. Food safety personnel with FSIS are essential employees and most will continue to work in meat and poultry plants for inspections. Routine food plant inspections by the FDA, however, will stop during the shutdown. The Department of Health and Human Services will fill in if there are any high-risk recalls.