Rep. Rose Calls USDA Disaster Relief a ‘Huge Blessing for Tennessee Farmers’
December 12, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, U.S. Representative John Rose (TN-06) announced his support of United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) $38.1 million grant agreement with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) to cover losses from Hurricane Helene. The grant will target infrastructure and timber losses in addition to future economic losses and market losses.
The block grant is part of the $30 billion disaster assistance relief effort authorized by the American Relief Act of 2025, which Rep. Rose supported.
Last October, Rep. Rose led a letter with Members of the entire Tennessee Congressional Delegation urging U.S. House and Senate leadership to support meaningful disaster relief for Tennessee farmers.
Rep. Rose released the following statement:
“Today’s announcement by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden, a fellow Tennessean, is a huge blessing for East Tennessee agriculture producers,” Rep. Rose said. “Some areas of Tennessee received up to 15 inches of rainfall during Hurricane Helene, ruining crops and forage, littering fields with debris, and resulting in loss of equipment and other infrastructure. This is yet another example of the Trump Administration following through on its commitment to our nation’s farmers.”
The finalized agreement between USDA, Governor Bill Lee, and TDA will cover qualifying losses not addressed by other USDA disaster programs. Tennessee agriculture producers should seek additional information through TDA.
Background:
Since March, USDA has provided more than $16 billion in supplemental disaster assistance, including $9.3 billion through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program and over $1 billion through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program. You can track the status of all USDA disaster assistance here.