How many counties have been declared a disaster by the Secretary of Agriculture?
For Mississippi, 79 counties have been approved by the Secretary of Agriculture. The counties of Newton, Kemper, and Neshoba did not meet the loss threshold of 30 percent for at least one crop in the county. (This proposal excludes “contiguous” counties.) If declared a disaster, what benefits would be available to producers under current authorities? Secretarial disaster declarations immediately trigger the availability of low-interest Farm Service Agency emergency loans to eligible producers in all primary and contiguous counties. What is the total cost of this disaster assistance proposal, and will this legislation be offset by reducing other government programs or be considered emergency spending (off-budget)? The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has scored this proposal at $2.193 billion. This legislation would be offset by utilizing the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). As of September 2009, total repayments from TARP investments exceed $70 billion. Counties Declared Disaster
