{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/hyde-smith-announces-usda-purchase-20-million-surplus-us-farm-raised-catfish", "HYDE-SMITH ANNOUNCES USDA PURCHASE OF $20 MILLION IN SURPLUS U.S. FARM-RAISED CATFISH", "2026-07-23", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Cindy Hyde-Smith", "H001079", "www.hydesmith.senate.gov", "hydesmith", "https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom", "scraper", "Agreement Follows Senators\u2019 Request, Supports Producers and Expands Food Assistance Program\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today said she expects Mississippi catfish producers to benefit from a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreement to purchase up to $20 million in farm-raised catfish for distribution through food banks, charities, and other nutrition assistance programs.\n\nThe $20 million purchase of farm-raised catfish is part of an overall USDA announcement to purchase up to $76.5 million in surplus U.S. commodities through the permanently authorized Section 32 program. This program authorizes the USDA to buy surplus U.S. commodities for domestic food and nutrition assistance programs.\n\n\u201cThe farm-raised catfish industry has been under tremendous financial pressure as producers have struggled with years of rising costs and inflation. Like many agricultural sectors, our catfish farmers have faced significant economic challenges,\u201d said Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.\n\n\u201cThese Section 32 purchases will provide meaningful support for producers in Mississippi and other catfish-producing states while delivering a healthy, high-quality source of protein to families served by nutrition programs across the country,\u201d she added.\n\nIn June, Hyde-Smith led a letter encouraging Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to grant a request from the U.S. farm-raised catfish industry for relief through the Section 32 program. U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also signed the letter.\n\nThe Senators\u2019 June letter to Rollins stressed the importance of the U.S. farm-raised catfish industry to their states, with nearly $2.0 billion in economic output and more than 9,100 direct and indirect jobs affected by \u201ca crisis of economic sustainability.\u201d\n\nSection 32 is funded through 30 percent of the previous year\u2019s customs receipts, providing USDA with a permanent mechanism to support domestic producers while supplying nutritious food to families in need.\n\nHyde-Smith and Wicker have consistently advocated for using Section 32 purchases to support Mississippi producers, including the state\u2019s catfish, shrimp, and other agricultural industries, while strengthening food banks and nonprofit nutrition programs.\n\nToday\u2019s announcement builds on a January 2025 USDA agreement to purchase up to $55 million in farm-raised catfish and Gulf shrimp.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-01T07:27:26Z", "2026-08-01T07:28:22Z"]], "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.hydesmith.senate.gov/hyde-smith-announces-usda-purchase-20-million-surplus-us-farm-raised-catfish"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0010788682848215, "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"}