Senator John Boozman is calling on USDA to account for the $11 billion intended to help the agriculture sector respond to the pandemic.
He says most of the distributed money aligned with the intentions of Congress, but he has concerns that some money was spent for unintended purposes. In a letter to Secretary Tom Vilsack, he has requested a report on all programs and activities that received money as well as an explanation on how the funds were used in accordance with the law.
“I am concerned, however, that as the need for additional financial resources to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic has waned, USDA has begun using nonobligated balances for projects unrelated to mitigating the impacts of the coronavirus,” said Boozman.
Boozman has given the Secretary until the end of the month to respond.
