Hoeven: Bridge Payment Arrives at Critical Time for Farmers

North Dakota Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, says the Trump administration’s $11 billion bridge payment arrives at a critical time for U.S. farmers facing low prices and tight margins. The aid is intended to help producers transition from this year’s harvest to next year’s planting season. “It got delayed because of the shutdown, but the important thing is we’ve got it. And as you heard, Secretary Rollins said, it should be out sometime in February. They’re really working to make sure that they get it out as timely as possible as well.” Hoeven also noted that an additional $1 billion is being reserved for specialty crops. “It’s tough right now for our sugar growers, and so that additional billion will be used to address that as well as some of the other specialty crops.”