Senator David Perdue Meets With Georgia Farm Bureau About Disaster Relief

WASHINGTON, May 1 -- The office of Sen. David Perdue, R-Georgia, issued the following news release:

U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, joined Georgia Farm Bureau to discuss ongoing efforts to advance a bipartisan disaster relief package for states impacted by hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters. It has been nearly seven months since Georgia was devastated by Hurricane Michael in October 2018.

"It's been nearly seven months since Hurricane Michael hit Southwest Georgia, and Congress still has not fulfilled its responsibility to provide relief for farmers who lost everything," said Senator Perdue. "Previous disaster relief packages were not held up in partisan battles like this. Georgia Farm Bureau has been resolute in their efforts to support our farmers and encourage bipartisan consensus among Members of Congress. To our farmers in Georgia - rest assured we will continue fighting until we get disaster relief flowing to Georgia and all states that are hurting."

"This week, Georgia Farm Bureau members have traveled to Washington, DC to urge our nation's leaders to come together to help those impacted by last year's extreme weather events," said Gerald Long, President of Georgia Farm Bureau. "It has been more than six months since Hurricane Michael swept across Georgia and destroyed nearly $2.5 billion in agricultural commodities and Georgia farmers, along with countless other farmers across the nation, are still waiting for help. Without federal assistance, many in our industry may never recover. We are grateful for the leadership that Georgia Senators David Perdue and Johnny Isakson, along with our entire congressional delegation, have shown throughout this process. It is time for Congress to act, and we stand ready to work with members of Congress and the Trump Administration to find a path forward on a disaster assistance package."

Background:

- On November 30, 2018, Senator Perdue and U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) sent two letters requesting additional funding for disaster assistance for Georgians recovering after Hurricane Michael: the first letter to Senate appropriators and the second to Senate leadership.

- On January 31, Senators Perdue and Isakson introduced a supplemental agriculture disaster relief amendment to provide critical funding for Georgia and other states recovering from recent hurricane and wildfire damage.

- On February 13, Senators Perdue and Isakson joined 11 other bipartisan senators in sending a letter to House and Senate leadership urging immediate action on a supplemental disaster relief package.

- On February 26, Senators Perdue and Isakson joined Doug Jones (D-AL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) to introduce a $13.6 billion disaster relief package with the backing of President Trump after prior funding attempts were removed from other supplemental spending packages.

- On April 30, Senators Perdue and Isakson, along with U.S. Senators Doug Jones (D-AL), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Thom Tillis (R-NC), held a bipartisan press conference to urge Congress to advance a bipartisan disaster relief package for states impacted by hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other natural disasters.

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Senator Perdue is the only Fortune 500 CEO in Congress and is serving his first term in the United States Senate, where he represents Georgia on the Armed Services, Banking, Budget, and Agriculture Committees.

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