Representative Chellie Pingree Calls Out USDA For Its Failure To Investigate Climate Risks To Farms

A government watchdog report says the USDA has done little to protect farms and forests from climate-related diseases and pests, even as the threat grows. The Government Accountability Office found that invasive species and pests have cost U.S. agriculture and forestry at least $550 billion since 1960, and warmer weather is letting them spread into new regions and stick around longer. One example: the southern pine beetle, once limited to southern and mid-Atlantic states, has now been found as far north as Maine. Warmer winters are also bringing pests like corn earworm earlier and in bigger numbers, making some standard pest-control methods less effective.

Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee, is pushing the USDA to act on the report's recommendations, which include better pest monitoring, using climate data in forecasting, and expanding outreach and technical help for farmers and land managers. She's especially concerned about USDA's Climate Hubs, which share regional climate and pest information with farmers but have already lost staff. The proposed 2027 federal budget would cut funding for the hubs further, along with over $300 million from Forest Service programs that support state and private forestry.

This is federal policy news rather than a program homeowners can tap into directly. But it points to a bigger pattern: pests and diseases tied to a warming climate are moving into areas that didn't used to deal with them, which matters if you own land, garden, or live near forests affected by insect damage.