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Vilsack confident COVID aid for biofuel producers will be coming soon

U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack is confident financial assistance for biofuel producers impacted by COVID-19 will be available soon.

Speaking to reporters during a farm visit in central Iowa Wednesday, Vilsack said many of the programs included in the American Rescue Plan were new and required additional thought on to how to allocate resources.

“You just don’t write the checks and send them, you have to figure out who gets it, how you send it out, when you send it out. Are there limits? So all of that has to be worked through, so we’ve been working through that.”

He anticipates application details on biofuels relief to be announced by the end of the month.

Earlier this week, a group of Republican U.S. Senators led by Iowa’s Chuck Grassley criticized the Biden administration for taking so long.  Vilsack argues the process would’ve gone faster if the USDA undersecretary nominees awaiting confirmation in the Senate were already confirmed.