ATLANTA – State lawmakers plan to send more aid to farmers in storm-ravaged southwest Georgia as more than $800 million in federal disaster assistance continues to be bogged down by a standoff over border security in Washington. 

Georgia legislators have proposed adding another $10 million to a loan program for farmers who are trying to bounce back after Hurricane Michael entered the state more than four months ago as a monster Category 3 storm, dealing a more than $2.5 billion blow to the industry. 

That additional funding – which is expected to cover loans for another 30 or so farmers – is on top of the $55 million that lawmakers approved during a recent special session focused on storm aid. That original pot of money has already been tapped out, with farmers borrowing an average of $290,000. 

“It’s not that the states are not willing to do their part to help us,” Rep. Terry England, who chairs the House’s budget-writing committee and who is also a farmer, told reporters Friday. “It’s that Congress’ inaction has left our folks hurting.”

England said Georgia’s share of a massive multi-state federal aid package could be more than $800 million. 

The House approved a tweaked version of this year’s budget on Friday with a vote of 166-to-8, sending it to the Senate. Lawmakers will soon start working on the proposed budget for next year. 

“There’s still great need in southwest Georgia,” state House Speaker David Ralston said Friday.

 

Ralston and England said they were waiting to see what federal lawmakers do before talking about adding more disaster aid to next year’s budget. Congress has been locked in a stalemate over funding for President Donald Trump’s wall at the southern border.

 

If that federal aid comes, another proposal would waive the state’s income tax on assistance administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

“This was a bad storm and couldn’t have hit at a worse time and we’re going to do everything we can as a state to help make this better,” said Rep. Sam Watson, a Republican from Moultrie who is sponsoring the measure. “So here’s another way that we can. It’s going to be a small way, but every little bit helps.”

Watson said frustration is building back home, where he said people are beginning to ask whether the federal disaster aid will come at all. 

“Obviously, there’s definitely issues at the border, and they need to be addressed, but they don’t need to be tied up,” said Watson, who is also a farmer. “Disaster assistance for people and farmers and people’s jobs – and their income – that’s not how it should be going down. And that’s on both sides.”