Hill Heat

In light of recent revelations by federal investigators that thousands of millionaire landowners have wrongfully collected farm program payments in recent years, committee members want to find out if some of those inappropriate payments are going out in conservation contracts.

The hearing will also unveil a new congressional investigation into contracts for the Wetlands Reserve Program and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program. A committee investigator looked into whether wealthy landowners who exceed the program’s income limits are receiving payments and found that USDA has poor record-keeping and oversight of the payments, according to a committee aide.