Rollins didn’t brief Boozman on USDA reorganization, Klobuchar, Craig call for hearings

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., said Thursday he is disappointed that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins did not give him a heads-up about the sweeping reorganization of the Agriculture Department that she announced earlier in the day and said he would schedule a hearing on the matter.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., ranking member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee, both called for hearings soon.
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture plays a critical role in supporting America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities,” Boozman told The Hagstrom Report in an email. “The best way to serve our agriculture community is by working together, so it’s disappointing USDA didn’t share its plans in advance of this announcement. I will be thoroughly examining the details of the proposal and look forward to learning more from Secretary Rollins and holding a hearing about the reorganization.”
Klobuchar said in a statement, “A reorganization of this scale will impact USDA’s ability to provide critical services to Americans and undermine the agency’s trusted expertise that farmers and families count on.”
I have serious doubts that the administration adequately considered the impact of this move on research and on services for farmers and rural Americans, particularly after the loss of over 15,000 employees in the past six months. The USDA must come before Congress to explain why it wants to adopt this plan, just as farmers have been hit with obscenely high tariffs, families have been walloped by SNAP cuts, and research grants have been frozen and reduced.”
Agriculture has always been America’s pride and joy. This half-baked proposal — submitted with no consultation with leading agricultural senators — will set us back. We must have an immediate hearing before more damage is done.”
Craig said, “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% 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 [House Agriculture Committee] Chairman [Glenn] Thompson [R-Pa.] 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 decision makers used to plan this reorganization.”
Craig noted that a 2023 study by the Government Accountability Office evaluating the relocation of the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture from Washington, D.C., to Kansas City, Mo., found: