After a full day and night of deliberation, the U.S. Senate today narrowly passed a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill. The package, known as the American Rescue Plan, will extend federal unemployment benefits, offer up to $1,400 in direct payments to individuals earning less than $80,000, and increase funding for several nutrition assistance programs. Additionally, it authorizes a number of provisions to bolster rural and agricultural communities, including a pilot program to facilitate the distribution of vaccines and other medical supplies in rural areas, debt relief for historically disadvantaged farmers, and $4 billion to build resilience in the food system.
At the organization’s convention earlier this week, National Farmers Union (NFU) members
urged lawmakers to “enact much-needed short-term Covid-19 relief” for struggling businesses and hungry Americans as well as implement longer-term solutions to minimize future disruptions in the food chain and “remedy historical inequities…faced by farmers of color.” In a statement, NFU President Rob Larew welcomed the bill’s passage and lauded legislators for addressing many of Farmers Union’s top concerns.
“Though the end of the pandemic is in sight, for millions of Americans, its ramifications will linger for months, if not years. As we try to get back to some sense of normal, we are reassured that Congress is working to make the recovery as fast, as equitable, and as complete as possible with the American Rescue Plan. This legislation provides a lifeline that will help keep families afloat until their hardships subside.
“In addition to its broader provisions to support unemployed and lower-income Americans, we appreciate the American Rescue Plan’s prioritization of rural and agricultural issues. The pandemic has exposed many of the deep-seated weaknesses and inequities in our food system and in our communities. For many years, Farmers Union members have been alarmed about the dramatic consolidation of food production, the failure to adequately fund rural health care systems, and the racial inequities that haunt our federal farm programs – problems that have been all but ignored by our elected representatives and federal officials.
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