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WASHINGTON – The City of Lumberton has previously benefited from special U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and loan programs to help spark economic development in rural communities. However, a small increase in Lumberton’s population means the city no longer qualifies for these vital programs.

On Thursday, Robeson County Congressman Robert Pittenger (NC-09) testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development requesting flexibility with the population threshold to allow deserving communities such as Lumberton to continue receiving assistance.

“Robeson County in particular has been afflicted by chronically slow economic development. Identified by the USDA’s Economic Research Service as a “persistent-poverty” county, at least 20 percent of Robeson County’s population has lived under the federal poverty level over the last 30 years. Last fall, the situation was exacerbated by the severe flooding from Hurricane Matthew, the effects of which will continue to be felt for many years to come. Robeson is the poorest of all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, the most ethnically diverse, and the largest by geography. These factors combined should alter how we determine grants, so we do not preclude cities like Lumberton, the county seat of Robeson County, which is a prime candidate for USDA Rural Development grants,” said Congressman Pittenger.