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Senators press on avian flu funding

As the number of avian flu cases continues to mount, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators is pressing leaders of Senate Appropriations Committee to make sure funding of the USDA’s avian health program is a top priority.

The effort is led by Senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Chuck Grassley of Iowa.

“We have not been too specific in our request,” Grassley says. “Just to let them know how serious the avian influenza situation is for farmers in Iowa and Minnesota—and the threat it is in other states—and the extent to which money needs to be available.”

In a letter to the Appropriations Committee, the senators note that President Obama’s original budget request for the USDA-APHIS avian health program was 52 million dollars for fiscal year 2016. That request, which came prior to the outbreaks, is the same amount the program received in 2014 and 2015.

The APHIS avian health program is responsible for avian influenza surveillance, reporting, and control efforts, as well as distributing indemnity payments to affected poultry producers.

Other Midwestern senators signing the letter are Al Franken of Minnesota, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Heidi Heitkamp and John Hoeven of North Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

AUDIO: Excerpt from Senator Grassley’s conference call with ag media 5/5/15