Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

The Blunt-Cardoza bill provides for the designation of a USDA disaster liaison to assist state and local employees of the USDA in coordinating with other agencies as they respond to a federal declared disaster. Currently, the law does not provide for a single voice to be heard from the USDA when a disaster takes place. The lack of such an authority has created bureaucratic obstacles for farmers who experience major crop losses.

"The experience of Central Valley farmers with crop damage this spring made it clear to me that the USDA struggles to serve those who have suffered losses from disasters," Cardoza said. "Disaster victims are not receiving the attention they deserve. I’m pleased that Majority Whip Blunt agrees. With this bill, farmers can seek help more efficiently through a designated liaison."

When a disaster happens now, multiple USDA agencies involved with numerous programs actively assess damage in a disaster area, while compiling information from hundreds of phone calls and by talking to numerous disaster victims. This information is then assembled and then sent to representatives of the state. The farmer is left to fend for himself or herself with no point of contact for follow up.

The new legislation would establish a USDA presence at field offices established on location during the disaster. A liaison would serve as a rapid conduit of information from local USDA offices to the state and federal offices, allowing for expedited funding requests for emergency assistance available through various programs operated within the USDA.