92). April was also a successful month, even though less was successfully passed. May, on the other hand, saw the passing of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which created the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) to distribute federal aid to farmers and controlled farm production. That same day, the most comprehensive relief bill of the New Deal was passed, the Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA), appropriating $500 million to support state and local treasuries that had run out of money (Leuchtenburg, p.107). Harry Hopkins was appointed to administer this program. May 18 saw the passing of one of the New Deal's most well known programs, creating the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a plan to develop and conserve the Tennessee Valley, and use its resources for energy purposes (Norton, p.730). The hundred days lasted until June 16, on which date another very important piece of legislature was passed, the National Industrial Recovery Act, which created the National Recovery Administration (NRA) to manage the recovery of the industry and finance economies (McElvaine, p.112).
Among many agricultural measures, the creation of the AAA stood out as the most important. Under the leadership of Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace and AAA head Chester Davis, the AAA controlled the production of crops, and thus prices, by offering subsidies to farmers who produced under set quotas (Leuchtenburg, p.121). This funding was financed by a tax on food processors, which transferred to high prices for processed goods for consumers (Leuchtenburg, p.121).
The major act in the industrial and finance area was the creation of the NRA. The NRA brought together representatives of the nation's major industries, "who together drafted codes of fair competition" (McElvaine, p.113). Under its head administrator, Hugh Johnson, the NRA established the regulations that held industry together during the New Deal.
