RESPONDING TO PINGREE REQUEST, GAO FINDS USDA HAS DONE TOO LITTLE TO PROTECT FARMS AND FORESTS FROM CLIMATE-DRIVEN DISEASES AND PESTS

Washington, Sept. 11 -- Congresswoman Chellie Pingree issued the following press release:

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a longtime organic farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee, is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to swiftly implement recommendations from a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that examines the growing climate-related risks that diseases and pests pose to American farms and forests. In September 2019, Pingree and former Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) asked GAO to undertake a broad examination of USDA's climate-related work in agriculture, including the status of USDA Climate Hubs and additional actions the department could take. That oversight request pre...