It will take Congress to replenish the Commodity Credit Corporation, assuming that is the course the administration takes to fund emergency farm aid growers need now. But new appropriations were not in the cards, and the government was shut down. House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole said the lack of negotiations makes things difficult.
Senate Ag Appropriations Chair John Hoeven argued stopgap farm aid hangs in the balance amid ongoing trade talks with China.
That would include annual USDA spending nearing completion before the fight over the short-term continuing resolution shut off the lights. Chairman Cole said they will make an effort to move quickly to get things up and running again.
Doing so would allow functions like farm services to resume as well as emergency aid for farmers in desperate need of help to keep their operations alive.
