{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=111", "Vermont Delegation Urges USDA Secretary to Approve Vermont Disaster Designation, Streamline Flood Recovery Funds for Vermont Farmers", "2023-07-15", "2023", "2023-07", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Becca Balint", "B001318", "balint.house.gov", "balint", "https://balint.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "BURLINGTON, VT \u2014 Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welchand Congresswoman Becca Balint sent a letter today, urging United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsackto approve Governor Phil Scott\u2019s request for a Secretarial Disaster Designation for the State of Vermont following catastrophic flooding to farms and rural farming communities.\n\n\u201cIt is imperative that the Federal government, working in conjunction with the state, mobilize as many resources as possible to quickly bring aid to Vermont\u2019s agricultural sector,\u201d the letter reads. \u201cWe are heartened that on July 14th, President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for all counties in Vermont, with an additional authorization of individual assistance for six counties. However, Vermont will need additional, ongoing support from USDA. We therefore ask that you quickly approve Governor Scott\u2019s request for a Secretarial Disaster Designation, and any additional requests for support forthcoming from the state.\u201d\n\nThe letter also asked Secretary Vilsack to take steps to expand USDA workforce capacity in Vermont to support loss assessment documentation and the provision of technical assistance to our farmers, residents, and communities.\n\nYesterday, the Delegation spoke with Secretary Vilsack about the dire circumstances many farmers and producers face following recent storms and flooding across the state of Vermont. During the call, the group urged Secretary Vilsack to act quickly to provide essential support for Vermont\u2019s farmers and agricultural producers.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:18:03Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=111"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2081880122423172, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}