Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Tuesday, Congressional leaders arrived at a deal to provide additional funds for both the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL), as well as expand eligibility for the EIDL program to include agricultural enterprises with less than 500 employees. After the announcement, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) and House Small Business Committee Ranking Member Steve Chabot (OH-1) released the following statements:

“It is encouraging news that we are making another tool available to U.S. agricultural producers through the EIDL program. Farmers and ranchers have suffered economic injury and need every bit of help they can get," said Ranking Member Conaway. “This new eligibility, while urgently critical, is no substitute for a comprehensive, fully funded relief program through the Department of Agriculture.”

“The unprecedented nature of the coronavirus pandemic calls for flexibility to assist businesses across multiple sectors of our economy," added Ranking Member Chabot. "This clarification will allow our nation’s agricultural enterprises and small family farms to access critical EIDL funds.”


On April 9, 2020, Ranking Member Conaway led all Republican members of the House Agriculture Committee in sending a letter to Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza, asking that agriculture producers be made eligible for both the PPP and EIDL programs. A copy of that letter can be found here.

Ranking Member Chabot also sent Small Business Administrator Carranza a letter to clarify Congress's intent to include agriculture producers in the EIDL program. A copy of that letter can be found here.