Trump Signs Spending Package Into Law

BY FARMWEEKNOW.COM

President Donald Trump late Sunday signed a $2.3 trillion spending package, providing $900 billion in pandemic relief and funding the government for another year.

Trump had criticized the legislation, saying $600 per person stimulus checks for Americans weren't enough.

In a series of tweets Sunday night, Trump's Deputy Assistant Judd Deere announced the president signed the legislation and that the Senate will "start the process for a vote that increases checks to $2,000, repeals Section 230, and starts an investigation into voter fraud."

I simply want to get our great people $2000, rather than the measly $600 that is now in the bill. Also, stop the billions of dollars in “pork”.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2020

In a statement posted on the White House website, Trump stated in part: "I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed. I will send back to Congress a redlined version, item by item, accompanied by the formal rescission request to Congress insisting that those funds be removed from the bill. Trump continued: "I am signing this bill to restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add money for PPP, return our airline workers back to work, add substantially more money for vaccine distribution, and much more."

Highlights of the 5,000-plus page bill include:

--An estimated $5 billion that will provide supplemental $20-per-acre payments to all row-crop farmers.

--About $3 billion to provide 80% reimbursement for losses for farmers who had to euthanize their livestock or poultry or canceled orders.

--An inventory top-up payment to cattle producers to address a portion of the gap between CFAP 1 and CFAP 2 to producers who sold cattle before April and those who sold after. $1 billion for dairy donation program and supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage payments for small- and medium-sized producers.

--$300 million for rural broadband and $250 million for telehealth.

--$635 million to continue ag quarantine inspection activities despite the loss of user fee funding from the COVID pandemic.

--Allows the USDA Secretary to extend the term of marketing loans by three months, providing producers additional time to pay.

--Gives the Secretary discretion to support domestic biofuels producers. 15% more in individual SNAP benefits for the next six months.

--Establishes a grant program to allow state departments of agriculture to supplement ongoing farm stress management initiatives.

--Establishes a grant program for small meat and poultry processors to upgrade operations in order to move to federal inspection or a state inspection program that allows for the sale of products across state lines.

The legislation also provides for another round of aid under the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Expenses covered by PPP will be deductible on tax returns. The legislation also includes $600 per person checks, or $1,200 for married couples making $150,000 or less. The payments phase out completely for couples making more than $198,000. Congress also will provide a $300 a week boost for federal unemployment benefits. The direct checks and unemployment are half of the aid Congress provided in similar legislation last spring.