Dear Secretary Vilsack:

On January 14, 2013, the Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") held an oversight hearing on the Obama Administration's decision to retroactively apply the FY 2013 sequester to FY 2012 payments made to states under the Secure Rural Schools ("SRS") program and the subsequent decision to demand repayment of a portion of those funds. At that hearing, the Department of Agriculture's ("USDA") witness, Robert Bonnie, testified that the USDA was still legally obligated to recover the sequestered FY 2012 SRS payments and was considering as one option withholding the sequestered amounts from the FY 2013 SRS payments to make up for the shortfall.

Read the entire letter HERE.