Wisconsin Ag Secretary says guidelines needed before states can use coronavirus dollars

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Wisconsin Ag Secretary says guidelines needed before states can use coronavirus dollars

Wisconsin’s Acting Ag Secretary says he’s received many inquiries about the money provided to states in the initial CARES Act coronavirus relief package, but it’s still unclear what the money can be used for.

Randy Romanski says, “The U.S. Treasury defines the parameters for using the funds that have come to the state, and the treasury has not provided the kind of parameters that are on those funds. We don’t even know as the State of Wisconsin whether or not agriculture even could be eligible for that.”

Romanski says Wisconsin is getting 1.9 billion dollars from that initial coronavirus relief package, but it was set up to cover increased COVID-19 costs and not lost revenue. 

He says the recent letter from eight Wisconsin ag groups requesting direct payments to farmers from those funds has been discussed at the cabinet-level. “If agriculture is eligible for programming, we are going to work to make sure that they’re considered for inclusion.”

Romanski talked to reporters Thursday.

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