WASHINGTON- Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., on Tuesday asked the U.S. Agriculture Department to restore recent payments the agency wrongly reduced for schools and counties under the Secure Rural Schools Act by more than $14 million.
En su carta al Secretario de Agricultura, Sonny Perdue, los senadores de Oregón citaron informes que la agencia retuvo el 6,2 por ciento de los recursos destinados a ser distribuidos bajo el SRS a Oregon y otros estados.
“The loss to schools and counties nationwide exceeds $14.0 million, with a substantial portion of that injury inflicted on our home state of Oregon,” Wyden and Merkley wrote. “Absent a compelling legal justification, the sequestered funds should be immediately released and distributed as required by SRS.”
Wyden and Merkley pointed out in their letter that the federal Office of Management and Budget has offered clear guidance to the Agriculture Department that the recent SRS payments are not subject to sequestration.
Los senadores también señalaron que el Servicio Forestal de EE. UU., una agencia dentro del Departamento de Agricultura, ha dicho durante la mayor parte del año en su sitio web que los pagos no estaban sujetos a secuestro.
“We would like to know what your compelling legal rationale is to justify application of sequestration to the SRS payments in contravention of OMB’s decision,” Wyden and Merkley wrote. “The funds previously withheld should be promptly forwarded for distribution to the schools and counties entitled to them pursuant to SRS.”
Más de 700 condados y 4400 distritos escolares en más de 40 estados dependen de los pagos del SRS para financiar escuelas y servicios esenciales como carreteras y seguridad pública.
Una copia de la carta completa es aquí.
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