USDA’s reorganization plan is already drawing questions and fire from both sides of the aisle in Congress. The Senate Ag Committee held a hearing on Wednesday to get more details about its plan to relocate 2,600 employees from Washington, D.C., to five regional hubs to achieve $4 billion in savings.
USDA’s makeover plans took Congress by surprise, and at this week’s Senate Ag Committee hearing, Democratic members blasted Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden, including the ranking member.
“It is unacceptable that we learned about this proposal just minutes before it was announced,” said Senate Ag Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. “The first months of this administration do not inspire confidence given the months of freezes, cancellations, unfreezes, firings, hiring back, lease terminations, firings and subsequent attempts to rehire veterinarians, farm loan officers and other critical positions.
“It is apparent that USDA did not consult with or even bother to notify Congress with this plan,” she said.
Stephen Vaden, deputy secretary of USDA, told the committee that was by design.
“The employees are the ones who are most directly affected by the secretary’s decision,” he said. “Out of common courtesy and respect, they should hear that decision from the secretary first and not from a leak that originates from somewhere else.“
Vaden said he understands the need to work with Congress but the consultation process has just started.
“The 30-day notification period required by law ensures that now is the time for us to receive feedback from stakeholders, from our employees and from members of Congress as well,” he said.
As part of the process, Vaden and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins will be conducting site inspections.
“We will be engaging in further conversations with USDA’s eight mission areas as well as their agency leadership on connecting the right functions of each agency and mission area to a particular hub location,” he said.
They’ll also work with the General Services Administration regarding leases in the hubs and in Washington, Vaden added.
Senator Klobuchar also expressed concern about how this will impact ag research.
“Do you believe that vacating research sites, eliminating offices and losing researchers will improve outcomes for farmers who depend on this research?” she asked Vader.
Vaden responded: “Senator, 91 of 94 ARS research labs are unaffected by the secretary’s memorandum.”
Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozeman, R-Ark., added they support efficiency and cost savings, but not at the expense of service to farmers.
“Can you tell us about how the plan is going to improve programs that support Americans who live in rural areas as we go forward?” Boozeman asked.
Vaden said it’s a greater ability to attract talent that is going to improve.
“It’s going to allow us to build the next generation of USDA leadership. Simply put, the hardest problem that any federal agency faces, and this is not limited to the Department of Agriculture, is talent retention,” he said. “The cost of living here in Washington, D.C. is prohibitive.”
Vaden added that cost of living was the principal consideration for where to put the hubs.
North Dakota Senator John Hoeven, R-N.D., who is also the appropriations chair, told Vaden the agency needs to work with, not against Congress.
“We support the goals, but we want it to be a process where you work with Congress, with the Senate, both the authorizing committee and the appropriations committee on it, and we achieve those results together, and I think that’ll help garner a lot more support for the effort,” Hoeven said.
Hoeven also questioned the location of the five hubs and if they were open for discussion.
“Senator, if you read the memorandum, it has built-in flexibility,” Vaden said. “The memorandum lays out a vision, but then there is a line in that memorandum which says the vision and the plans laid out here can change.”
Hoeven said USDA will need show flexibility to get their plan to the finish line.
