Rollins Seeks More CCC Funds  04/17 06:55

   Ag Secretary Wants Congress to Increase Limit for CCC Line of Credit

   Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told the House Agriculture 
Appropriations Subcommittee on Thursday she favors an increase in the $30 
billion annual limit in USDA's authority to spend under the Commodity Credit 
Corp. 

Jerry Hagstrom
DTN Political Correspondent

   WASHINGTON (DTN) -- Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told lawmakers 
Thursday she wants Congress to increase the $30 billion annual limit on 
Agriculture Department spending under a line of credit at the Treasury 
Department through the Commodity Credit Corporation, a wholly owned government 
corporation Congress created in 1933 to provide aid to farmers when needed.

   Rollins has used the CCC to provide aid to farmers who are suffering from 
low commodity prices and high input costs as well as for programs traditionally 
funded through the CCC. 

   Rollins told the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee she favors an 
increase in the $30 billion annual limit USDA's authority to spend when she was 
responding to a question about farm aid from Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Fla.

   Rollins testified before the subcommittee at a hearing on President Trump's 
fiscal year 2027 budget request for the Agriculture Department and the Food and 
Drug Administration.

   After the hearing, she also pointed out to DTN that the CCC will be used to 
provide money for farmers under the programs covered in the One Big Beautiful 
Bill Act. The OBBBA increased subsidies for crop farmers under Title 1 of the 
farm bill and for crop insurance. 

   Rollins said she believes the $30 billion limit has been in place for about 
30 years and needs to be increased.

   Rollins also said she has been working with Senate Agriculture 
Appropriations Chairman John Hoeven, R-N.D., about the request. After the 
hearing, she also told The Hagstrom Report she has been working with Congress 
for a year on the request.

   She said here request is not in Trump's budget request for the Agriculture 
Department.

   In an email, Hoeven told DTN, "We appreciate Secretary Rollins' leadership 
and will continue working with her to ensure that the CCC has the funding 
necessary to respond to the needs of farm country."

   "As chairman of Ag Approps, we've worked to ensure the availability of CCC 
funding in the past and will continue working with USDA to ensure this 
important tool is available to help our farmers and ranchers going forward," 
Hoeven said.

   Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., the ranking member on the House Agriculture 
Appropriations Subcommittee, told DTN he was not surprised at her proposal 
because the CCC has reached its limit in the past.

   Asked if she was speaking about the annual replenishment for the CCC, 
Rollins said she wants the limit increased. She declined to say how much of an 
increase she wants, but that she will be "happy with any increase." She said 
she would work with Congress to achieve the increase through the appropriations 
process or through another legislative vehicle.

   Congress set up the line of credit so the Agriculture secretary has access 
to borrowing authority to aid farmers as problems arise. The Agriculture 
secretary has almost unlimited authority to decide how to use the money to 
address farmers' problems.

   During the Obama administration when Democrat Tom Vilsack was Agriculture 
secretary, a Republican-led Congress restricted use of the funds, but after 
President Trump was elected to his first term, Congress removed the 
restrictions at the request of then-Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

   Republicans in Congress also pressed to restrict the Agriculture secretary's 
use of CCC funds with farm bill language in the Biden administration after 
Vilsack used $3 billion for climate-smart commodity programs.

   During the hearing, Rollins responded to questions from many members of the 
committee. Republicans praised USDA while Democrats criticized the proposed 
cuts, especially for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for 
Women, Infants and Children.

   Read more about the USDA Commodity Credit Corp. here: 
https://www.usda.gov/farming-and-ranching/resources-small-and-mid-sized-farmers/
commodity-credit-corporation.

   Jerry Hagstrom can be reached at jhagstrom@nationaljournal.com

   Follow him on social platform X @hagstromreport




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