Senators used Richard Fordyce's confirmation hearing to press the nominee about the implementation and reach of emergency and supplemental assistance for producers, focusing on timeliness and equitable access for specialty and uninsured growers.

Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar noted Congress provided $31 billion in economic and disaster assistance for 2023–24 and said roughly half of those funds had reached farmers while "those without crop insurance or farmers with shallow losses are still waiting." She asked Fordyce to use creativity to ensure eligible producers who historically have not utilized USDA programs can access disaster aid.

Senator Hyde Smith and others praised a prior rapid delivery of a $10 billion emergency commodity assistance program and the improvements enacted in the recent omnibus (referred to in the hearing by some senators as the "1 big beautiful bill"). They said additional implementation work remains to deliver assistance efficiently.

Fordyce said disaster payments are "a critical tool" and committed to aligning them with congressional intent and presidential priorities to make them "more timely, fair, and impactful." When Senator Hyde Smith asked whether he would explore all authorities under USDA if emergency action was necessary, Fordyce replied he would be "supportive of looking at what authorities we might have at USDA" and would partner with Congress to seek solutions.

Committee members also raised specific statutory authorities. One senator referenced USDA's historical use of Section 32 for targeted assistance; Fordyce said, "I will have to admit, I am not familiar with, the section 32 that you reference, but certainly would be more than happy to look into that and see if that would be a possible option."

California and other senators raised concerns about program design that could disadvantage specialty-crop and diversified producers, including rules for state block grants tied to certain disaster designations. Senator Schiff asked Fordyce to work with him to ensure specialty-crop and diversified farmers could access future relief more readily; Fordyce committed to collaborating on such issues if confirmed.

The committee did not vote on program changes during the hearing but emphasized oversight and follow-up on the specific implementation details and whether current program rules sufficiently reach all affected producers.