Agriculture
Washington Week in Review: Aug. 7, 2020: Rep. Glenn Thompson on COVID aid, new farm bill
Negotiations on new coronavirus aid from Capitol Hill are showing no signs of real progress, leaving many to wonder what the relief picture will look like for production agriculture and federal nutrition assistance. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., joins Agri-Pulse to discuss the state of those talks and how farm policy might respond to the pandemic and other challenges in the years to come.
Two Pennsylvania lawmakers want to protect farmers and their crops from not only the impact of the coronavirus, but a bigger bug you can see called the spotted lanternfly.
"It threatens our crops, it threatens our agricultural tourism industry and so it is estimated that the impact on just Pennsylvania's economy could be as much as 18 billion dollars," Pennsylvania Democrat Chrissy Houlahan said.
Houlahan, along with Pennsylvania Republican Glenn "GT" Thompson, are working to secure 16 million dollars from the USDA to combat the spotted lanternfly.
Bipartisan legislation, introduced by four congressmen, including Republican U.S. Reps. Glenn "G.T." Thompson and John Joyce, would expand the eligibility for farmers and ranchers to participate in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act's Paycheck Protection Program.
U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson and other lawmakers on Thursday introduced bipartisan legislation to expand access to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for farmers and ranchers.
The PPP was created by Congress under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in order to assist small businesses keep employees on payroll and cover other business-related expenses, helping them weather the economic damages caused by COVID-19.
On Thursday, Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., joined three other congressmen to introduce bipartisan legislation to expand access to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for farmers and ranchers.
The PPP was created by Congress under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in order to assist small businesses keep employees on payroll and cover other business related expenses, helping them weather the economic damages caused by COVID-19.
The Small Business Administration still accepting applications from farmers needing assistance during the Coronavirus pandemic.
One month ago, the S.B.A. made Economic Injury Disaster Loans – or "EIDL" – available to the agriculture industry for the first time. The administration's website on Friday shows those loans are still available.