U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will distribute $340.6 million in disaster assistance to support farmers, ranchers, and rural communities affected by natural disasters across the country. This funding is part of the USDA Disaster Assistance Fund and comes in response to President Donald Trump's executive order issued in January, which prioritized expedited support for communities left behind by the previous administration.
In her remarks, Secretary Rollins expressed deep concern for those affected by recent disasters. "My heart goes out to the families across our great country who have lost loved ones, homes, businesses, and livelihoods," she said. "As one of his first executive actions, President Trump made it a top priority for his administration to deliver fast and fair relief to communities impacted by disasters. USDA is fulfilling the President's promise today and ensuring we are doing everything we can to support state and local efforts to rebuild these communities to be even stronger than before."
The announcement was made in North Dakota, where the USDA is allocating over $5 million to help rebuild electric infrastructure damaged by recent severe storms and wildfires. Additionally, the USDA will deliver $25 million in disaster assistance to communities in North Carolina and $18 million to those in Tennessee that have been affected by hurricanes since 2022, including Fiona, Ian, Idalia, and Helene.
As part of the funding rollout, USDA will use $5.8 million to support rural economic development initiatives aimed at farm producers and small enterprises. Another $15.6 million will go toward helping communities rebuild essential infrastructure damaged by disasters. An additional $20 million is earmarked for restoring access to safe drinking water, sanitary waste disposal, and electric infrastructure. To assist towns in navigating available aid, $2 million has been allocated for technical support.
The Trump administration also announced improvements to the USDA Disaster Assistance Fund to ensure faster and more efficient aid delivery. These changes include streamlining bureaucratic processes, enhancing fund management, and eliminating barriers such as income thresholds and population limits that previously restricted eligibility.
According to Secretary Rollins, the fund will directly assist rural families, farmers, and small business owners by supporting the repair of homes, businesses, infrastructure, and critical services. The announcement reinforces the administration's commitment to ensuring no community is left behind in the aftermath of natural disasters, with the USDA continuing to prioritize swift and impactful relief efforts.
For more information:
USDA
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