Letter to Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader; Charles Schumer, Senate Minority Leader; Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House; and Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader - Maloney Leads Bipartisan Members of New York Congressional Delegation in Calling for Pandemic Assistance for Cooperative Extension

Letter

Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy:

We write to request your support on a matter of great importance to our constituents and to New York State agriculture. As you know, agriculture is a critically important part of the economy and social fabric in many of our Congressional districts.

Specifically, we seek the inclusion of a provision in the next financial assistance legislation for Cooperative Extension in the states most impacted by COVID-19. Absent targeted federal relief to make up for losses in county funding, our Cooperative Extension System will be unable to retain critically important employees who perform vital services to communities, consumers, farmers and farmworkers. Recently 22 New York farm organizations, representing all sectors of New York agriculture wrote to me to highlight this critical issue.

Cooperative Extension has been the focal point in New York for helping farmworkers, farm families and food businesses with information, materials and best practices to prevent further COVID-19 outbreaks. This effort includes COVID-19 educational programming in English and Spanish. In addition, Cooperative Extension has played a vital role in distribution of face coverings and sanitizer to farms and are working with food banks and farmers on food distribution efforts for food insecure individuals and families.

The Cooperative Extension regional agriculture team system in New York is now at risk because of the dire state of county finances as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These Cooperative Extension teams are highly trained with specialized knowledge to ensure farm and food processing industries keep pace with the cutting edge innovation, regulatory requirements and consumer demand.

We strongly encourage that language be incorporated into the COVID-19 federal assistance legislation that will provide assistance to Cooperative Extension in New York (and other states with high levels of COVID-19 infections) to offset lost revenue and the costs of delivering technical expertise, information, training, and services during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,