GRAY RENEWS EFFORT TO SECURE EMERGENCY RELIEF FOR CENTRAL VALLEY SPECIALTY CROP GROWERS

Today, Congressman Adam Gray (CA-13) and Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) led an effort to help ensure Central Valley specialty crop growers receive the emergency assistance they need as farmers continue to face rising costs, labor shortages, and increasing economic uncertainty.

In a letter sent to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Congressman Adam Gray (CA-13), Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21), and a group of lawmakers from across the country called for at least $15 billion in emergency assistance to be dedicated to specialty crop producers as Congress considers the Administration's request for emergency assistance.

The letter outlines the unique challenges and structural disadvantages facing specialty crop producers and underscores the need to provide equitable economic relief to these growers across the country.

"America's specialty crop industry is essential to our nation's food security, rural economies, and agricultural competitiveness. Providing dedicated emergency assistance will help preserve domestic production, strengthen supply chains, and sustain the family farms and agricultural jobs that provide consumers with safe, healthy, American-grown fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery crops, floriculture, and other specialty crops," write the members.

"As you consider providing additional economic assistance to American farmers, we urge you to ensure that specialty crop growers receive a minimum of $15 billion in emergency assistance to match the severity of their crisis and address the structural disadvantages that distinguish their challenges from those of other agricultural sectors," concludes the members.

This is Congressman Gray's latest effort to make sure Central Valley specialty crop growers receive the support they need. Previously, Congressman Gray played a central role in moving the bipartisan Farm Bill through the Agriculture Committee, secured a commitment from Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA) on this effort to secure billions of dollars in long-overdue economic assistance, and secured additional specialty crop related wins in the Farm Bill on the House floor before it passed with bipartisan support.

The letter was also signed by Reps. Julia Brownley (CA-26), Janelle Bynum (OR-05), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Don Davis (NC-01), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), Pablo José Hernández (PR-AL), Bill Keating (MA-09), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Josh Riley (NY-19), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Pat Ryan (NY-18), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Hillary Scholten (MI-03), Darren Soto (FL-09), Mike Thompson (CA-04) and Jill Tokuda (HI-02).

Read the full text of the letter here.