U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) helped lead a bipartisan contingent of 15 other lawmakers in requesting support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in seeking more federal funding to research and combat the spotted lanternfly (SLF), an invasive insect from southeast Asia.
“We have worked with the USDA on a bipartisan basis for the past two years to address the negative impacts of the SLF on our farmers and agricultural workers,” wrote Rep. Fitzpatrick and the lawmakers in a March 19 letter sent to USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack. “Additional resources are still needed to rid our regions of this pest, and as you finalize your Fiscal Year 2022 budget request, we urge you to request an increase in support to research and control the SLF.”
Rep. Fitzpatrick and his colleagues, who included several from his home state, such as U.S. Reps. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Mike Kelly (R-PA), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), wrote that since being found in Pennsylvania in 2014 the SLF has wreaked havoc on the state’s agricultural sector by damaging hardwood trees, vineyards, crop yields, and the economy.
The members cited economic research from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania showing that the damage caused by the SLF could cost the Commonwealth $324 million annually and cause the loss of over 2,800 jobs in Pennsylvania alone. The insects also have been found throughout the states of New York, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut, West Virginia, Ohio and Delaware, the members wrote, and they continue to spread, according to their letter.
“While there has been some progress, it is critically important we continue to secure more funding for research to combat and eradicate this invasive species once and for all,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said in an April 9 statement. “I am proud to join Rep. Houlahan as we step up and fight for our communities’ farmers and the vital role they play in our local economy.”
In the 116th Congress, Rep. Fitzpatrick and his Pennsylvania colleagues successfully ensured the USDA’s FY 2021 budget received a $4 million increase over FY 2020 to research and control the pest for a total of $16 million, wrote the members, who now seek a further increase during this session of Congress to combat the spread of the SLF.