On August 1, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke L. Rollins announced the opening of a 30-day public comment period for stakeholders to provide feedback on the department’s reorganization plan, which includes the closure of Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC).
“We value your perspective as we work to ensure that USDA is best positioned to serve America’s farmers, ranchers, producers and rural communities,” Rollins said.
“President Trump made clear his second term would include relocating the sprawling federal bureaucracy to locations outside the National Capital Region,” Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden said in his Capitol Hill testimony on July 30, adding the plan “right-sizes the USDA footprint,” and maintains the department “within the bounds of its available financial resources.” The reorganization proposal relocates approximately 2,600 Washington, D.C., area positions to five regional hubs: Raleigh, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Fort Collins, Colo.; and Salt Lake City, Utah (see the July 31 issue).
How to Submit Comments
Stakeholders, including, but not limited to, USDA employees, members of Congress and agricultural and nutrition partners, are encouraged to provide feedback by emailing reorganization@usda.gov. The comment period is open through Tuesday, August 26.
Information for this article is drawn from a USDA press release.
