{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases/hoeven-secures-commitment-from-usda-general-counsel-nominee-to-support-regulatory-relief-for-farmers-and-ranchers", "Hoeven Secures Commitment from USDA General Counsel Nominee to Support Regulatory Relief for Farmers and Ranchers", "2017-11-13", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "ND", "John Hoeven", "H001061", "www.hoeven.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.13.17\n\t\t\t Hoeven Secures Commitment from USDA General Counsel Nominee to Support Regulatory Relief for Farmers and Ranchers \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Senator Also Discusses Need for Capital for Farmers and Ranchers Act with Farm Credit Administration Nominee\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t WASHINGTON \u2013 Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, recently secured a commitment from Stephen Vaden, the nominee to serve as General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to work with him in providing regulatory relief to farmers and ranchers. The senator stressed how the added costs of burdensome federal rules strain agriculture producers\u2019 operations, which poses an even more significant threat during times of low commodity prices and natural disasters. Hoeven also raised the issue of public roads and access in the national grasslands to Vaden, urging him to work with the Forest Service and the state to reach a mutually acceptable settlement.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe regulatory burden is an issue for all small businesses, and its impact is felt even more so by our farmers and ranchers as they recover from this year\u2019s drought,\u201d said Hoeven. \u201cI appreciate Mr. Vaden\u2019s commitment to provide relief to our agriculture producers, and I look forward to working with him following his confirmation.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\r\nRegulatory Relief\r\n\r\nToday\u2019s confirmation hearing aligns with Hoeven\u2019s continued efforts to reduce the regulatory burden for agriculture producers. His recent efforts include:\r\n \r\nStopping the Waters of the U.S. Rule\u00a0\u2013 Hoeven worked through the Appropriations Committee to defund the regulation in 2016 and 2017. EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently\u00a0issued\u00a0a proposal to restore the regulations that were in place prior to WOTUS, which was issued in 2015. This is the first of two steps established by the executive order\u00a0signed\u00a0by the president in February.\r\nEnsuring Availability of Fuel Blends\u00a0\u2013 Hoeven is working through the Appropriations Committee to ensure safe, low-volatility biofuels can be sold year round. To this same end, he has cosponsored the\u00a0Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act.\r\nRescinding the Bureau of Land Management\u2019s \u201cPlanning 2.0\u201d\u00a0\u2013 Hoeven cosponsored and helped pass a resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal the rule. This maintained multiple-use requirements for federal lands, including grazing.\r\n \r\n\r\nCapital for Farmers and Ranchers Act\u00a0\r\n\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In addition, Hoeven urged Glen Smith, nominee to be a member of the Farm Credit Administration Board, to support his Capital for Farmers and Ranchers Act. The senator stressed that the caps under the Farm Service Agency\u2019s (FSA) programs have not kept up with the increased capital costs for agriculture, and Smith agreed that the caps should be raised. Accordingly, Hoeven\u2019s legislation would increase the FSA loan guarantee amount from $1.39 million to $2.5 million and double the amount of direct loans from $300,000 to $600,000 for both farm operating loans and farm ownership loans.\r\n\r\n2018 Farm Bill\r\n\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoeven is also using the nomination process as an opportunity to begin working with USDA officials early to help secure needed improvements to the farm bill and ensure agriculture programs are implemented in a way that best serves producers\u2019 needs. The senator continues to meet with farmers and ranchers across North Dakota to gather feedback and outline his priorities for the 2018 farm bill, including:\r\n\r\n \r\nStrong Crop Insurance \u2013\u00a0The senator is working to strengthen and prevent cuts to the crop insurance program, which is the primary risk management tool for many producers.\u00a0\r\nAgriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC)\u00a0\u2013 Hoeven secured $5 million for a pilot program in the Senate\u2019s Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Agriculture Appropriations bill, and funding in the Senate\u2019s FY 2018 Appropriations bill, to improve the fairness of ARC payment calculations, while exploring long-term solutions to the problem for the next farm bill.\u00a0\r\nSugar Program\u00a0\u2013 The senator said he will work to extend the sugar program in a bipartisan manner, ensuring that American producers have a level playing field in the world sugar market.\r\nAgriculture Research \u2013\u00a0Hoeven will work to include strong support for agricultural research, like the work done at North Dakota State University and the North Dakota Extension Service, to enhance crop genetics and production.\r\nDrought Support\u00a0\u2013 Hoeven continues working to secure all possible support for farmers and ranchers to help them weather the drought. The senator is also working to improve the livestock assistance programs in the next farm bill and ensure they work for ranchers when needed most.\r\n \r\n\r\n-###-\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases/hoeven-secures-commitment-from-usda-general-counsel-nominee-to-support-regulatory-relief-for-farmers-and-ranchers"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7072120681405067, "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"}