Sponsors (3)
The bill provides fast, targeted emergency payments to keep forest-harvesting and hauling firms operating (paid from Canadian duty receipts rather than general taxes), but narrow eligibility, potential prorating, limited administrative oversight, and politically tied funding mean some operators may still be left without reliable aid and the program’s stability could vary year to year.
Forest-harvesting and hauling businesses (especially small, rural firms and transportation workers) can receive an immediate emergency payment up to $20,000 within 14 days and a follow-up payment (paid the next September 30) calculated to replace lost revenue; these payments may be used for payroll, fuel, equipment repairs, debt service, or expanding access to other forest-product markets to help維
The program is financed by anti-dumping and countervailing duties collected on Canadian softwood lumber imports rather than by a new general-tax appropriation, avoiding an immediate increase in general taxpayer funding for the assistance.
Governors and the Forest Service Chief can petition for assistance, enabling coordinated state–federal responses and quicker targeting of aid to locally affected communities.
If anti-dumping and countervailing duty receipts are insufficient in a given year, payments will be prorated, so eligible businesses may receive less aid than expected during a disruption.
Eligibility rules (income thresholds, revenue-share, and volume requirements) may exclude smaller or diversified landowners and operators, leaving many smaller firms and some private landowners ineligible for assistance.
Tying the program’s funding to anti-dumping/countervailing duty receipts on Canadian softwood risks politicizing assistance and creating year-to-year funding volatility.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes USDA to provide emergency payments to timber harvesters, haulers, and landowners after a declared forest-product market disruption, with initial and follow-up payments tied to lost revenue.
Official title: To provide financial assistance to forest product harvesting and hauling businesses impacted by a significant market disruption, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 22, 2026 by Rick W. Allen · Last progress January 22, 2026
Provides a temporary USDA payment program to help timber harvesters, timber haulers, and landowners whose forest-product businesses suffer market disruptions. After a Governor or the Forest Service Chief petitions and the Agriculture Secretary declares a market disruption, eligible entities can apply for prompt initial payments (up to $20,000) and potential follow-up payments tied to lost revenue; payments can be used for operational costs or to access new markets and include appeal and fraud provisions.