Sep 11, 2025USDA extends deadline to comment on reorganization plan
Members of the public have an additional month to comment on a proposed USDA reorganization after the deadline was extended until Sept. 30.
An original comment period was to close Aug. 26.
Stakeholders including USDA employees, members of Congress and agricultural and nutrition partners are encouraged to provide feedback by emailing [email protected].
The plan, which would shift more than half of the agency’s Washington, D.C. staff to five hubs around the country and close the main facility of the department’s Agricultural Research Service, drew scrutiny after its July 24 announcement.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) called for hearings on the plan, with Boozman telling Politico he was “disappointed” that Congress was not consulted before the announcement.
On July 30, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden, sworn in July 7, testified before the committee. He said the reorganization “right-sizes the USDA footprint, eliminates unnecessary management layers, consolidates redundant or duplicative functions, and, most importantly, allows USDA to deliver on its mission to the American people within the bounds of its available financial resources,” according to the online statement.
The plan calls for closing several department buildings as well as the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland. New hub locations would be established in Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah. USDA said the locations were chosen considering existing concentrations of USDA employees and lower costs of living.
In a Sept. 5 letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, the National Potato Council urged the department to keep core international trade policy functions in Washington, D.C.
USDA’s trade professionals depend on their proximity to other key federal agencies, foreign embassies, international organizations and industry trade policy staff, most of whom are located in the D.C. area, NPC said in the letter. These professionals, including those in the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), are essential for ensuring foreign market access. The co-location of these staff enables real-time collaboration and swift policy coordination on U.S. trade objectives.
“Preserving USDA’s trade infrastructure in Washington will ensure continued coordination with federal partners, foreign representatives, and the industry trade community, while also maintaining the strong foundation necessary to support U.S. agriculture’s global competitiveness,” according to the letter.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include details of NPC letter.
