WASHINGTON – Congressman Spencer Bachus (AL-6) today joined with Alabama’s entire congressional delegation in requesting $17 million in federal aid for farmers affected by the severe drought in the state.
The request was submitted to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees for legislative consideration.
The proposal seeks $10 million from the Emergency Conservation Program to restore pasture and drill wells to sustain livestock, and another $7 million from the Livestock Assistance Program, which provides payments to livestock producers who suffer grazing losses due to natural disasters.
In addition, the letter asks that farmers who experienced losses during an April freeze be made eligible for assistance contained in a disaster supplemental bill passed earlier this year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared all 67 counties in Alabama as disaster areas as a result of the worst drought in the state in more than a century.