The President's Weekly Address

Hi, everybody. Today I want to talk about something that most of you already know: It's hot outside. It's really hot. And if this feels worse than normal, that's because it is. We just found out that July was the warmest month on record, warmer than any other month since we began keeping track more than a century ago.

On top of all this heat, we're also experiencing one of the worst droughts in over 50 years. Almost a quarter of the continental United States is facing what we call "extreme" or "exceptional" drought, with States like Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas getting hit harder than most.

That's bad news for a lot of people, but it's especially tough on our farmers and ranchers. Right now almost half of the corn crop in America is in poor or very poor condition. Cattlemen are struggling to feed their animals. Many folks are seeing their livelihoods dry up in front of their eyes. And if we don't get relief soon, Americans everywhere will start to feel the pinch, because the food our farmers and ranchers produce ends up on grocery store shelves.

We can't let that happen. That's why, at my direction, the Department of Agriculture, led by Secretary Tom Vilsack, has been working with other agencies across the Federal Government to make sure we're doing everything we can to help farmers and ranchers fight back and recover from this disaster. Already, we've given farmers and small businesses across 32 States access to low-interest emergency loans.

We've opened up more Federal land for grazing. And we're working with crop insurance companies to give farmers a short grace period on their premiums, since some families will be struggling to make ends meet at the end of the year.

This past week, we went even further, announcing an additional $30 million to help get more water to livestock and restore land affected by the drought. We're making it easier for even more farmers, ranchers, and business owners to get emergency loans. And the Department of Transportation is helping more truck drivers deliver supplies to States that need them the most.

This is an all-hands-on-deck response, and we'll be doing even more in the coming weeks to help families and communities that are suffering.

But my administration can't do it alone. Congress needs to do its part too. They need to pass a farm bill that not only helps farmers and ranchers respond to these kinds of disasters, but also makes necessary reforms and gives them some certainty year round. That's the single best way we can help rural communities right now and also in the long term.

So call your Members of Congress, write them an e-mail, and tell them that now is the time to come together and get this done. Too many Americans are suffering right now to let politics get in the way. Let's help farmers, ranchers, and business owners recover. Let's make sure that families who already stretch their budgets to the limit don't have to pay more for groceries this fall.

In the meantime, I'll keep doing everything I can to help communities respond to this disaster. Because at times like these, it doesn't matter if you live in Des Moines or Detroit, we're Americans first. And if we look out for each other, we'll come out of this stronger than before.

Have a great weekend, everybody. And stay cool.