Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, Jan. 23, during a U.S. Senate Agriculture committee hearing on the nomination of Brooke Rollins to lead the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (Democrat – Ga.) pushed for key commitments from Rollins to ensure disaster assistance is distributed both swiftly and equitably, Georgia farmers are protected from the high costs associated with trade wars and more.
The Senator also pushed Rollins to commit to protecting Fort Valley State’s partnership with USDA and to removing red tape from low-income children and families receiving nutrition benefits.
If confirmed, Rollins would oversee USDA’s rollout of disaster funding for farmers that Warnock secured in December. Following the catastrophic damage of Hurricane Helene in September 2024, Warnock worked to include agricultural disaster funding in any end-of-year government funding package, which included nearly $21 billion in disaster relief funding for farmers as well as $10 billion in economic assistance for row crops farmers. This includes cotton and peanut farmers in Georgia.
“Farmers, as you know, do incredible work,” Warnock said. “It’s a tough business. There’s so much you don’t control. The margins are narrow, and so I do everything I can to protect my growers in Georgia. I cannot overstate how critical it is for USDA to distribute this assistance, this disaster assistance to Georgia farmers as quickly as possible–but also as equitably as possible. If confirmed, how will you work to ensure disaster assistance is distributed both swiftly and equitably?”
As a veteran member of the Senate committee overseeing federal agriculture policies, and as a senator representing a state with a heavy agricultural history, Warnock is defending programs that help Georgia farmers keep more profits in their pockets and keep the industry at the frontlines of Georgia’s success.
“Farmers in Georgia are already concerned about potential retaliatory actions following President Trump’s promises to levy heavy tariffs,” Warnock said. “They are already dealing with slim margins due to high input costs, and the last thing they need is to be caught in the middle of a trade war that could drive-up food prices for all of us. If confirmed, what will you do from your position at USDA to ensure that Georgia’s farmers and families aren’t caught up in a trade war? It’s something I have worked on with Republicans, helping to get our farmers’ goods to market, it’s something we think about a lot.”
