House Democrats and a bipartisan group of former USDA officials are trying to stop a plan to relocate research staff.
President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue speak during a signing ceremony for the farm bill on Dec. 20.
The relocation plan was unveiled in August, a prelude to the broad restructuring of the USDA workforce that Perdue announced this month, dubbed “OneNeighborhood.” Among other provisions, it seeks to consolidate USDA employees, moving them out of rented space across the capital region and into two department-owned buildings in the D.C. area that are undergoing renovations.
ERS is down from more than 300 employees to 250, said Sandra Salstrom, a legal representative at the American Federation of Government Employees, a union for federal workers. There is currently no chief scientist overseeing the research at USDA. Trump’s first nominee, the radio host Sam Clovis, had no scientific credentials and withdrew his nomination in 2017 over links to the Russia investigation. Scott Hutchins, the second nominee, was awaiting Senate confirmation when he was appointed, in January, as the deputy undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics, a position that does not require congressional approval.
“A lot of us see NIFA as the core of USDA, in terms of discovering the knowledge needed for the future of feeding the world,” said Jack Payne, the University of Florida’s vice president for agriculture and natural resources. The president’s 2020 budget proposal asks for $15.5 million to relocate ERS and $9.5 million to relocate NIFA. It also slashes ERS funding from $87 million to $61 million, and would trim the agency to 160 positions. The request would also eliminate research into food security and rural economies while keeping a focus on farm financial information, consumer data and trade. Congress ignored similar cuts proposed in 2018 and 2019.
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