News Releases for May 2007
May 24, 2007
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Hoeven: Disaster Aid Package Will Bring Welcome Relief To Producers
BISMARCK, N.D. –Gov. John Hoeven today said a $3 billion agriculture disaster aid package passed by the U.S. Congress this evening as part of the Iraqi war funding bill is welcome, but it isn’t law yet. He said he plans to contact the White House again in the morning to urge the President’s signature. The legislation will provide relief for farmers who have lost at least 35 percent of their crops in either 2005 or 2006, or before March of 2007.
“For several years now, we have aggressively pressed the Administration and Congress for solid disaster relief,” Hoeven said. “Tonight, Congress took a step toward ensuring the viability of our producers, who have suffered real hardship at the hands of nature. Growers are not out of the woods yet, but this will help producers address the losses they’ve carried forward over the past two growing seasons.”
Hoeven has lobbied aggressively for the aid on numerous occasions over the past two years, traveling to Washington with farm groups to meet with the President, key administration officials and Congress. Most recently, Hoeven, along with S.D. Gov. Mike Rounds, met in Washington, D.C. with Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Agriculture Advisor to the President Hunter Moorhead, and senior USDA staff to encourage support for agriculture disaster aid.
Hoeven pushed support for the $3 billion agriculture disaster aid package that Congress passed tonight. Like the legislation passed today, the plan he discussed had an option available for producers to apply aid to losses incurred during the 2005 or 2006 growing season.
The Governor also worked with fellow governors to build support for disaster aid at the annual Winter Meeting of the National Governors Association in February. Last fall, he got more than 20 governors to sign on to a letter to congressional leaders in support of comprehensive drought assistance for farmers and ranchers.
“We worked to get broad bipartisan support from a large part of the nation for the effort to help our farmers and ranchers, and now it has come through,” Hoeven said.
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