{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://courtney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/courtney-applauds-president-bidens-support-relief-farmers-impacted", "Courtney, Larson, DeLauro, Balint Applaud President Biden\u2019s Support for Relief for Farmers Impacted by Severe Weather", "2023-10-27", "2023", "2023-10", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Joe Courtney", "C001069", "courtney.house.gov", "courtney", "https://courtney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "NORWICH, CT - Today, Reps. Joe Courtney (CT-02), John B. Larson (CT-01), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), and Becca Balint (VT-AL) applauded President Biden for heeding their calls to deliver emergency relief to help northeast farmers recover from devastating crop damage and loss they faced due to severe frost and flooding earlier this year.\n\n\u201cThis past year, our farmers dealt with hours of record-freezing temperatures in May \u2013 right during our peak growing season \u2013 only to have extreme flooding impacting those same operations less than two months later. These same family farms were impacted by a serious drought last summer that caused significant losses, all while the agriculture industry as a whole tried to recover from the changing economy and world after the COVID-19 pandemic. That\u2019s why last year, I led the Connecticut delegation in securing emergency disaster assistance for our farmers, and this year, I again worked with my colleagues in Connecticut to lead the charge in securing a commitment from the Biden Administration to support emergency disaster assistance for agricultural producers,\u201d said Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02).\n\n\u201cDue to the severe weather we faced earlier this year, many farms have lost hundreds of acres of crops and people have been put out of work,\u201d said Larson. \u201cExisting federal programs are not enough to meet the needs of New England farms. I worked with Connecticut farmers and my colleagues across the region to find a solution that meets the moment and am thrilled to announce President Biden\u2019s support for direct, emergency relief. It is now up to Congress to act swiftly to approve his request. Our farmers have waited long enough to get the relief they need and deserve.\u201d\n\n\u201cFarmers in Connecticut are experiencing widespread harm due to recent extreme weather events such as severe drought and unprecedented flooding,\u201d said Congresswoman DeLauro. \u201cAs Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, I was pleased the President included this relief in his supplemental funding request to Congress. I will fight to secure federal support for the USDA Emergency Relief Program, which provides relief to our farmers in the form of financial assistance and expedited disaster relief payments. I will continue to work with our local communities and farmers to ensure that they get the help they need to rebuild, recover, and move forward. This issue is critical to my district and to our region\u2019s agriculture industry.\"\n\n\u201cAfter this year's severe weather and devastating floods, New England farmers need resources to fight climate change and protect their land,\u201d said Rep. Becca Balint. \u201cThe President\u2019s requested support is critical in Vermont\u2019s response and recovery process. I\u2019m proud to join my colleagues in applauding the President\u2019s support for emergency aid and now it\u2019s time for Congress to step up and approve this request.\u201d\n\nNew England farms faced more than $50 million in damage as a result of frost and severe flooding earlier this year, impacting approximately 4,000 acres of farmland in Connecticut, and over 27,000 acres in Vermont. Last week, Larson, Courtney, and Balint led 13 lawmakers requesting President Biden\u2019s support for emergency aid. This week, the President included relief for farmers in the domestic supplemental funding request he sent to Congress.\n\nFull text of the lawmakers\u2019 letter is available HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"]], "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://courtney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/courtney-applauds-president-bidens-support-relief-farmers-impacted"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7670150846242905, "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"}