Today, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02) released the following statement regarding Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ planned reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“The planned reorganization announced by the Agriculture Secretary without notice or input from Congress or key stakeholders and constituencies demonstrates that this administration failed to learn the lessons from previous similar efforts and is willfully risking the effectiveness of the agencies and programs that support America’s family farmers.  

“When the first Trump administration relocated USDA’s Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture outside of the Washington, D.C. area, about 75 percent of employees impacted declined the move, resulting in a massive brain drain and significant loss of productivity at both agencies. To expect different results for the rest of USDA is foolish and naive. Sadly, farmers will pay the price through a reduction in the quality and quantity of service they already receive from the department.

“That the Administration did not consult with Congress on a planned reorganization of this magnitude is unacceptable. I call on Chairman Thompson to hold a hearing on this issue as soon as possible to get answers. We need to hear from affected stakeholders and know what data and analysis USDA decisionmakers used to plan this reorganization.”

A 2023 study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) evaluating the relocation of the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture from Washington, DC, to Kansas City, MO, found:

• Productivity declined at both agencies.
  
  • ERS produced fewer reports.
    
  • NIFA took longer to process grants.
    
• Employees at new locations were less experienced than at the prior location. 
  
• Employee diversity at the two agencies declined precipitously.
  
  • NIFA staff went from 47 percent African American to 19 percent.