U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) on Jan. 27 introduced legislation that would authorize a waiver of the matching funds requirement under the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), a key U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant pest and disease prevention research program targeting fruits and vegetables.
“The Specialty Crop Research Initiative is critical in enabling central Washington farmers to supply the world with cherries, apples, wine, hops and many other specialty crops,” said Rep. Newhouse. “Universities and commodity groups representing Washington agriculture are eager to pursue world-class specialty crop research that provides our farmers with a competitive edge, but provisions left out of the 2018 Farm Bill left SCRI recipients at a disadvantage.
“I am proud to work as a member of the Appropriations Committee to include this language to give certainty to these institutions as they compete for federal grant funding and continue their groundbreaking research at facilities throughout Washington and the United States,” the congressman said.
If enacted, the measure would reinstate the waiver authority for the SCRI’s matching requirement, as well as include appropriate waiver language authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the matching funds requirements for specialty crop research programs, according to information provided by Rep. Newhouse’s staff.
“Securing funding for specialty crop research like the incredible work being done at Washington State University has long been a priority for me,” said U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). “Research coming out of eastern Washington helps inform regional and national practices on crop inputs, pest threats, harvesting technologies, and food safety issues.”
The congresswoman added that she hopes the bill “will help Washington’s agriculture industry stay competitive in the global marketplace and ensure our farmers have the resources they need to keep putting food on kitchen tables across the country.”