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Perdue says assistance from CARES Act will be fair

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue says the USDA is working to evaluate authorities granted under the CARES Act and design a program to alleviate disruption to agriculture caused by COVID-19.  

In a letter to Senate Ag Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, he said the USDA will again seek to implement a national program that is “fair and equitable.”

Stabenow previously criticized the Market Facilitation Program, saying it left small- and medium-sized farms behind. She said the program was biased toward southern states, certain crops, and large farms.

Perdue defended the program in the letter, saying it took “a holistic view of commodities directly impacted by the effects of trade retaliation.” He added that the MFP was never intended as a general market or price support program, or to compensate producers for the impacts of imported product on domestic markets.