FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Vaibhav Vijay (Vaibhav.Vijay@mail.house.gov)
Kyla Gill (Kyla.Gill@mail.house.gov)

Rep. Summer Lee and Rep. Alma Adams Lead Congressional Colleagues in Request for USDA to Prevent Financial Exploitation of Farmers

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Summer Lee (D-PA) and Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, PhD.  (D-NC) led a coalition of Congressional colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging  the department to investigate the potential misuse of the USDA Power of Attorney (PoA) form (FSA-211) by predatory actors targeting farmers, particularly those from historically underserved communities.

The letter, co-signed by Reps. Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), and Cori Bush (D-MO), raises concerns that certain notaries and other entities have approached farmers with offers to assist them in accessing USDA farm program benefits, only to then exploit their power of attorney to take an unfair percentage of the benefits the farmers receive. These actions not only undermine the integrity of USDA programs but also disproportionately harm farmers and landowners who are already vulnerable to exploitation.

You can read the full letter here:

“Farmers in historically underserved communities have long faced systemic barriers to accessing the resources they need to thrive. The potential misuse of the USDA’s Power of Attorney form is yet another obstacle placed in their path,” said Rep. Lee. “We cannot allow predatory actors to exploit these hardworking individuals for their own gain. The USDA must take immediate action to protect our farmers and ensure the integrity of its programs.”

The letter calls on Secretary Vilsack to provide data on the number of PoA forms currently in place, as well as information on new submissions of the form since 2018. Additionally, the letter requests details on any updates or changes the USDA is considering for the form to better protect grantors, including potential modifications to ensure full transparency and accountability between the grantor and the grantee.

Specifically, the letter requests the following:

• Data at both the state and county levels on the number of farms with a PoA in place authorizing another person or entity to conduct business with USDA, and the number of new FSA-211 forms submitted each year since 2018.
• Information on updates being considered for the FSA-211 form, including modifications to clearly disclose the lack of charges for USDA services, requirements for grantees to state and disclose in writing any fees or charges, and the establishment of a fiduciary relationship between grantees and grantors.
• Any statutory authorities USDA believes are necessary to make changes to better protect grantors from predatory actors.
• USDA’s anticipated timeline for any formal rulemaking to update the form and strengthen protections for grantors.

Rep. Lee, Rep. Adams, and their colleagues have requested a response from Secretary Vilsack within 120 days, to ensure timely action on this critical issue.

“We need to make sure that every farmer, regardless of their background, can access USDA programs without fear of being taken advantage of,” Rep. Adams added. “Our farmers deserve nothing less than full transparency and fairness in their dealings with the USDA.”

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Since taking office in January 2023, Lee, who serves on the House Oversight Committee and Space, Science and Technology Committee, has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $1.85 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 2,300 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.