April 10, 2019
Kemp: "We will not stand down until Congress stands up for our farmers."
Atlanta, GA – Today, Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp again demanded action on recovery funds for farmers impacted by Hurricane Michael.
"Georgia farmers, who suffered generational losses during Hurricane Michael, are on the verge of bankruptcy," said Governor Kemp. "Yet a handful of vindictive politicians refuse to end the gridlock and provide the resources these hardworking Americans so desperately need.
"This gridlock exposes the rotten core of some in Congress. They would rather crush an entire industry - destroying the livelihood of countless Americans - than do something that the opposition party wants. This dire situation highlights the brokenness in Washington. We have reached a low point as a nation.
"We refuse to excuse the political games that exploit our farmers and discount the dire situation in Southwest Georgia. We will not settle for gridlock that compromises the future of so many hardworking Georgians. This is not an empty threat from a red state governor. This is a promise - we will not stand down until Congress stands up for our farmers."
Agriculture is Georgia's largest - and oldest - industry, employing one in seven Georgians and contributing $74 billion to the state's economy annually. Hurricane Michael made landfall on October 10th as the third-most intense hurricane in our nation's history, dealing $2.5 billion in damage to Georgia crops alone. Georgia has received no disaster relief funds appropriated by Congress since the storm's devastating damage.