Van Hollen, Booker, Colleagues Introduce Honor Farmer Contracts Act

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has joined Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in introducing the Honor Farmer Contracts Act, legislation to release illegally withheld funding for all contracts and agreements previously entered into by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). President Trump’s USDA has refused to make reimbursement payments to fulfill signed contracts, without any indication of when or whether farmers will be paid the money they laid out and are owed. Farmers and the organizations that serve them operate on tight margins and cannot be left waiting for weeks and months without funding they rightfully planned for and need to keep operating. This legislation would require the USDA to pay farmers all past due payments as quickly as possible to prevent them from having to shut down their operations. U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-02) will introduce companion legislation in the House.

When farmers successfully apply to USDA programs and then spend their own dollars in reliance upon signed contracts with the agency, they rightfully expect that they will receive reimbursement. Similarly, farmer-serving organizations—which farmers rely upon to connect to local markets and implement practices that make them more productive and less resource intensive—are facing imminent funding crises from not being reimbursed for completed or in-progress contracted work. If not quickly made whole, these organizations will be forced to make agonizing decisions to lay off staff and stop helping farmers, destroying years of progress in advancing local food systems.

“Donald Trump and Elon Musk are scamming our farmers – the very people we depend on to put food on our tables. By illegally withholding federal funding for farmers and small businesses in Maryland and across the country, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are both breaking a promise to our farmers and ultimately driving up costs for hardworking Americans. We introduced this legislation to fight back against the Administration’s illegal funding freeze that is hurting our communities,” said Senator Van Hollen.

“Farmers across the country have been in limbo ever since the USDA froze previously signed agreements and contracts, with many facing catastrophic consequences if these freezes continue,” said Senator Booker. “USDA’s refusal to pay what is owed to farmers and the organizations that support them is theft, plain and simple. It's a critical time of year for farmers and ranchers. They should be doing what they love – feeding our communities, not worrying about unpaid contracts. This legislation will fix that by forcing USDA and the Trump Administration to hold up their end of the deal.”

The Honor Farmer Contracts Act would:

1. Require USDA to unfreeze all signed agreements and contracts;
2. Require USDA to make all past due payments as quickly as possible;
3. Prohibit USDA from cancelling agreements or contracts with farmers or organizations providing assistance to farmers unless there has been a failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the agreement or contract.
4. Prohibit USDA from closing any Farm Service Agency county office, Natural Resources Conservation Service field office or Rural Development Service Center without providing 60 days prior notice and justification to Congress.

To see the full list of organizations endorsing the Honors Farmers Contacts Act, click here.

The Honors Farmers Contacts is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Peter Welch (D-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Angus King (I-ME), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Dick Durbin (D-Ill), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse, and Bernie Sanders (I-VT). 

To read the full text of the bill, click here.