The top Senate Republican is privately warning the White House that American farmers will continue to suffer if the Trump administration doesn’t reopen the flow of certain farm loans amid the government shutdown, according to a report from Politico.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is quietly pressing officials within the Trump administration to let farmers continue to access Marketing Assistance Loans, which allow them to meet cash flow needs during harvest season and as they make planting decisions for next year, according to four people with direct knowledge of the conversations, including two Trump officials.
Politico also reports that would require USDA to reopen thousands of shuttered county Farm Service Agency offices across the country in order to facilitate those loans. So far, administration officials say they have no plans to shift other money around for the agriculture loans like they’ve done with troop pay and other priorities.
“We’re working that issue, and I hope to get an answer soon,” Thune said in a brief interview Thursday.
Sources: Politico, NAFB News Service