WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01), member of the House Committee on Agriculture and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture, was joined by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) in leading seven bicameral members of Congress in a letter to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack regarding distribution and oversight of grants and loans following the recent bankruptcy filing of Pure Prairie Poultry. The Minnesota-based poultry processor received more than $45 million in USDA grants and loans intended to help meat and poultry processors start or expand processing capacity. Pure Prairie Poultry filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 20, 2024, which resulted in up to 50 farmers and more than 2 million chickens throughout Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin being left without feed or the necessary processing capacity due to the closure of their Charles City, Iowa plant.   “USDA has provided millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded loans and grants to meat and poultry processors across the country, which is why my colleagues and I are calling on USDA to provide answers,” said Rep. Finstad. “While expanding livestock markets and processing capacity is critical for farm country, the lack of oversight of these dollars by USDA harmed producers and caused a significant disruption to our nation’s food supply chain.” “USDA is responsible for keeping tabs on the taxpayer-funded grants it administers, but it clearly dropped the ball with Pure Prairie. Iowans and others across America’s Heartland have lost their jobs and their poultry market as a result of Pure Prairie’s closure. USDA must explain to Congress and the public what went wrong to help prevent a repeat scenario,” said Sen. Grassley. In part, the letter reads: “Over the past two years, USDA has provided $223 million in loan guarantees and grants to 30 meat and poultry processing companies. A press release from the USDA celebrated this funding as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “commitment to strengthen critical food supply chain infrastructure to create more thriving communities for the American people.” Unfortunately, this investment has instead resulted in the loss of income, jobs, and poultry across three states.” “While we share USDA’s desired goals of expanding meat processing capacity and markets and building a robust national food supply chain, it is critical that livestock producers have resilient systems to ensure the production of healthy and affordable protein for both domestic and global consumption. Moreover, American taxpayers deserve the peace of mind that their dollars are being spent wisely.” Cosigners of the letter include Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Representatives Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA-15), Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-03), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN-07), and Ashley Hinson (R-IA-02).