The USDA is countering claims made by Democrats who say the Government Accountability Office report proves the distribution of Margin Protection Program payments has been unfair.
Senate Ag Committee Ranking member Debbie Stabenow of Michigan says the report shows southern farmers received higher payments compared to individual farmers in any other region.
“And Georgia leads the nation with an average payment of $42,000 plus per farmer, which is more than double the national payment.”
A spokesperson for USDA tells Brownfield payment rates were based on trade damage, not by region or farm size, with more than 650,000 farmers receiving payments under the 2019 program. They say to date, the Midwest region has received nearly 70 percent of the funds and, the top five recipient states are Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Texas, and Kansas.
