The Trump administration is pressing to eliminate local USDA offices around the country while slashing more than $1 billion in grants tied to local and regional food markets and continuing to freeze conservation contracts.
Members of the National Farmers Union and speakers at the group’s national meeting questioned the legality of USDA canceling signed contracts and the ramifications for farmers from such actions.
The Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, maintains on its website that it is closing local Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Rural Development (RD) offices in at least 24 states across the country even though Congress traditionally has blocked USDA from closing local service centers.
Instead of officially closing the offices, DOGE had the General Services Administration (GSA) cancel the leases for the offices, which GSA maintains it has authority to do.
At least 13 local FSA offices are losing their leases along with more than 30 NRCS offices.
Members of Congress have aggressively defended against efforts to close local offices. In hearings last month, members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees had made it clear they oppose closing any local FSA offices.
Asked by DTN about office closures, Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, called for more communications between DOGE and Congress about such moves.
“America’s farm families must continue to access the services and benefits they rely on from USDA amid ongoing changes and reviews by the administration,” Boozman said. “This is particularly critical as many producers are navigating a downturn in the agricultural economy due to the lingering effects of inflation and low commodity prices, and local USDA offices will play a vital role in getting emergency assistance into the countryside. To date, Congress is not receiving advance notice of office closures, but improved coordination would better serve communities and agricultural producers.”
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DTN
