A group of nine Democratic representatives signed on to a bill Dec. 19 that would keep the U.S. Department of Agriculture from reorganizing its National Institutes of Food and Agriculture and Economic Research Service and relocating those departments outside the Washington, D.C., area.
“The National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Economic Research Service are already doing great work to support American farmers and consumers right where they are. Uprooting these key agencies is absolutely unnecessary and risks weakening them when our nation’s food system and agricultural economy need them most,” bill co-sponsor Rep. Chellie Pingree said in a statement.
“My colleagues and I have repeatedly sent this message to the secretary. Since he’s forging ahead regardless of our feedback — or the concerns of the nation’s agriculture research scientists — this bill is a necessary step.”
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue announced the intended move in August, saying that the move would attract new talent to the agency and reduce operating costs.
But congressional and industry organizations worried that the move would disrupt both department employees and the vital research those offices conduct.
“The proposal to move the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture is yet another attack on science by the Trump administration,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro in a statement.
“For years, both agencies have been invaluable resources on research and support for the food and agricultural community. This shocking proposed move — including the sham application process for the relocation of ERS and NIFA — threatens to politicize these agencies and undermines their ability to carry out their important missions
With the year wrapping up and a new Congress set to take over Jan. 3, it is unlikely the legislation will be voted into law. But expert organizations say the symbolic value of the bill is still important.
“We fully endorse the intent of this week’s House bill to keep the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the national capital region and the ERS in the USDA research arm. The nation’s capital and the current organization alignment best position these two agencies to support American food, agriculture and rural communities through research, analysis and statistics,” said Ron Wasserstein, executive director of the American Statistical Association, in a statement.
“While we recognize the bill won’t become law in this Congress, we hope it draws further attention to USDA’s counterproductive and poorly justified upheaval of USDA’s research arm.”
The USDA Inspector General’s Office has also decided to look into the proposed relocation.
