The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s (USDA) new Deputy Ag Secretary Xochitl Torres Small says she is ready to help lawmakers in any way she can as they work to craft the 2023 Farm Bill.
Secretary Torres Small says she understands what Congress is up against after her time serving the residents of New Mexico.
“Having served as a U.S. Representative, I know that it’s Congress that writes the Farm Bill,” Torres Small said. "[The] USDA stands ready and is very much engaged in providing technical assistance and making sure that we serve as a voice for farmers, ranchers, and rural people, and people who depend on SNAP, and our mini-nutrition programs.”
She also makes it clear she is attuned to the needs of the constituents she advocates for as Congress continues their months-long debates over hot-button issues — like slashing funding for SNAP or revoking the USDA’s discretionary CCC spending — and how it will affect rural Americans and the agricultural community as a whole if those big changes make it into the final 2023 Farm Bill.
"[Know] that we get asked, ‘What do you think about this program or this change?’ that we’re reflecting the many customers that we serve,” she said.
The clock is ticking with the current Farm Bill, which is due to expire in less than two months, on Sept. 30.
