Twenty union leaders representing Agriculture Department employees are urging congressional appropriators to step in to prevent further Trump administration staffing cutbacks.
Recent cuts at the agency are “severely undermining the ‘People’s Department’s’ infrastructure, mission and ability to serve the American people," the union leaders say in a letter, which urges House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee leaders to “take swift action to restore their Constitutional authority over USDA spending and prevent what is rapidly becoming a national crisis.”
“Destabilizing the USDA will have catastrophic consequences, not just for farming families, but for every American household that will face higher food prices, less sustainable agriculture, and less support during times of hardship,” the letter says.
According to the letter, 98 of 167 food safety scientists at the Agricultural Research Service recently resigned, while current employees have been barred from conferences and media engagement.
The Economic Research Service has seen “significant staff attrition” and the administration’s treatment of federal workers has “greatly reduced USDA’s capacity to conduct vital research on topics like climate adaptation, food insecurity measurement and rural economic resilience," the letter says.
Nearly 30% of the staff at the Food and Nutrition Service have been terminated, put on administrative leave or resigned, the letter says. These losses have “disrupted core fraud detection and oversight functions” and states have seen a delay in receiving $5 million for detecting and preventing SNAP fraud.
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The letter adds that if FNS were moved to the Department of Health and Human Services, the House and Senate Ag Appropriations subcommittees "would lose oversight of nearly $140 billion in annual funding for SNAP, WIC and the National School Lunch Program.”
"USDA employees have withstood shutdowns, pandemics, and political upheaval to keep vital programs running. But the current environment of fear and uncertainty, scientific suppression, and instability is untenable,” the letter says. “Further workforce reductions, under the guise of 'deferred resignations,' relocations, or reorganizations, threaten the long-term viability of USDA’s mission and the communities we serve."
The letter asks appropriators to halt any reductions in force, relocations or reorganizations until congressional "oversight is implemented and impacted employees are meaningfully consulted.” The letter also urges the “restoration of critical staffing and resources to ensure USDA’s programs can meet their mission."
The union leaders are asking for full transparency about USDA workforce plans and budget priorities, "reassertion of Congressional authority over USDA spending to prevent further damage to essential programs”, protection for government workers from “politically motivated removals or reassignments,” and the restoration of communication channels between USDA and stakeholders.
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