U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry, released a statement in response to the Office of Management and Budget ordering agencies to withhold approved federal funding.
“At a time when rural America is already dealing with the uncertainty of proposed tariffs, workforce issues, input costs, and the recent spread of avian flu, the last thing our rural constituents need right now is more chaos and confusion," Klobuchar said. "This proposed freeze could affect everything from rural hospitals to farm loans to crop insurance and biofuels to animal disease prevention to conservation and nutrition programs. Our farmers and ranchers and rural constituents work hard and they need certainty, not chaos from this Administration. As the courts consider this reckless action, I will do all I can to make sure that there is appropriate congressional oversight, that the laws are complied with, and that loans and grant funding continue to rural America.”
The frozen federal funding was put on hold Tuesday afternoon following a temporary emergency federal court order. On Wednesday, the White House announced that the memo freezing federal aid had been "rescinded."
