Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who is running for governor in 2018 when Rick Scott faces term limits, wants the federal government to offer disaster relief for agriculture in the Sunshine State.
Putnam sent a letter to the Florida congressional delegation on Tuesday and noted Hurricane Irma caused $2.5 billion in damage to Florida agriculture and urged Congress to do more.
“As you know Hurricane Irma, among the strongest hurricanes ever to make direct landfall in the United States, dealt a devastating blow to many sectors of Florida’s $120-billion-dollar agriculture industry,” Putnam wrote. “While members of our Florida delegation – under your leadership – worked tirelessly to include much-needed disaster assistance to help Florida’s agriculture industry in the face of mounting catastrophic losses, we were ultimately left out of the last aid package Congress considered. This omission was despite receiving commitments from leadership in both houses that our state would find relief in that round of funding”
Putnam continued to be critical of the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB)for denying aid to Florida agriculture hurt by Hurricane Irma and by citrus greening. He also praised U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney’s, R-Fla., efforts to send more funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the Sunshine State.
“We all recognize that OMB’s request is only the administrations’ recommendation and that Congress, considering the advice of the OMB, will now create a relief package that is responsive to and reflective of the damage sustained by the industry,” Putnam, who served in Congress and rose to becoming part of the House leadership before being elected to his current post in 2010, wrote. “Nonetheless, I am alarmed by the apparent lack of concern shown by OMB towards the needs of agriculture in the aftermath of such a historic storm.
“Congressman Tom Rooney has crafted language that will enable the USDA to provide $1.5 billion in emergency disaster assistance to address the catastrophic crop losses producers suffered due to this storm,” Putnam added. “I am hopeful that the entire delegation will support its inclusion in the next disaster relief supplemental.”
Earlier this month, the White House sent its latest relief proposal and Florida agriculture was not included, prompting criticism from Putnam and members of the state’s congressional delegation.
“The administration has made another proposal to Congress outlining what they need in order to effectively respond to nationwide disasters and storms. Yet again cries for help for Florida’s growers – especially our iconic citrus growers – were ignored,” Rooney said at that time. “Hurricane Irma hit Florida over two months ago, the losses this storm caused to Florida’s agriculture industry across the entire state are staggering. For the citrus growers, fruit is still dropping off the trees. The trees’ root systems are rotting; there is no telling how badly this will affect the industry’s future and so far Washington has done nothing.
“The long-term economic damage caused by this storm could be unprecedented,” Rooney insisted. “Florida citrus growers support entire towns in the center of the state. The impact on the businesses and surrounding industries that support or supply citrus growing operations in Florida’s heartland could be catastrophic.
“The time for Congress to act is now,” Rooney concluded. “Do we want to say that orange juice is produced and made in America? Without the inclusion of funds to address citrus crop losses; that is at risk. The threat to the domestic industry is real: oranges imported to Florida, primarily from Brazil and Mexico, are already projected to surpass what is grown in Florida this season. This storm has jeopardized an iconic Florida crop and way of life. Washington must act and provide relief so that generations of family citrus growers can continue to produce, employ, and put Florida-grown orange juice on America’s breakfast tables.”
U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., part of the House leadership as senior deputy majority whip, also ripped into the decision to leave Florida agriculture out of the relief proposal.
“Floridians have been kicked to the curb in this proposed disaster supplemental, which lacks relief for Florida’s citrus growers who suffered immensely from this storm,” Ross said. “The Florida delegation specifically requested this relief because there isn’t a citrus grove that wasn’t affected, with some experiencing 100 percent losses – worse than anything the industry has experienced in over 20 years. Agriculture is our state’s second-largest economic driver and these losses will have a detrimental impact on our state’s economy for decades. I cannot—I will not—support a proposal that leaves behind over 60,000 Florida jobs. I urge my colleagues in the Florida delegation to oppose it as well. I believe we have a duty to fight to ensure our citrus growers get the relief they need.”
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