WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Scott sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday, October 18, urging him to direct the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to immediately assess and submit a supplemental appropriations request to Congress for disaster relief funds, and include provisions for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue block grants for agricultural losses. Last week, Senator Scott was in Polk County and Hillsborough County to hear from Florida’s growers, ranchers and agricultural leaders regarding recovery and response efforts following major Hurricanes Helene and Milton and reinforce his commitment to having the federal government show up for the community. See more HERE.

Read the full letter HERE or below.

Dear President Biden:

I am writing to express my strong support for distributing disaster relief funds for agricultural losses due to natural disasters in the form of block grants, if requested by the state. I have been advocating for this proposal since Hurricane Ian caused significant damage to Florida’s agricultural industry in 2022.

I appreciated our conversation on October 3^rd when I shared this request with you and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Vilsack, and our subsequent conversations on October 10^th and 13^th when we discussed this urgent matter. Just yesterday, I spoke with farmers and ranchers in Florida who have suffered substantial losses from hurricanes in previous years, including the recent impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. They overwhelmingly support the need for relief in the form of block grants to expedite recovery efforts.

Given the immense need, I respectfully ask that the Office of Management and Budget work quickly to determine the costs of recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and immediately submit a supplemental appropriations request to Congress that includes this necessary USDA block grant flexibility. 

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

MORE…

Since Hurricane Ian devastated Southwest Florida in 2022 and caused significant agriculture losses, Senator Scott has been fighting to secure USDA block grants for Florida’s farmers, ranchers and growers to aid in their recovery and support the state’s agriculture industry. Following Hurricane Helene, Senator Scott led a bipartisan group of his Florida delegation colleagues in a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack supporting the State of Florida’s request to issue a Disaster Declaration for Florida’s counties that were impacted by Hurricane Helene and make assistance available immediately in the form of state block grants to expedite support for Florida’s farmers and agricultural producers as they recover from the destructive impacts of the storms. Read more HERE. Senator Scott spoke to President Biden and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack about the importance of USDA block grants during their meeting after Hurricane Helene in Keaton Beach on October 3. He stressed the importance of block grants again in his call with President Biden on October 10 and in his meeting with the president in St. Pete Beach on October 13.

Senator Scott is leading the call for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to fund disaster relief. Last week, Senator Scott announced a bill with Senator Rubio to provide $20 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund to ensure the agency has what it needs to provide immediate aid to communities.

###