America's 1988 drought captured attention everywhere, but especially in Washington where politicians pushed through the largest disaster relief measure in U.S. history. The Associated Press went back to track where the $3.9 billion went and found the money spread far beyond the drought.
Associated Press has tracked the federal $ 3.9 billion drought relief package intended to save Midwestern rice growers from bankruptcy . While the program did assist farmers in the upper Great Plains who needed it , AP found that the election year payments went far beyond . Congress added hail and flood warnings to the package , and loose regulations and lax enforcement further spread the problem . By November , one- quarter of all American farmers , some of whom enjoyed good crops at higher prices , had collected damage payments . analysts found some growers got financial aid and crop insurance payments , and then replanted for a successful harvest . Some payments went to businesses , corporations , churches and even local governments .