Members of Congress representing Kentucky should be outraged that our region has been left off the list for a new U.S. Department of Agriculture hub. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins recently announced plans to relocate 2,600 USDA staff from Washington, D.C., to five hubs across the country: Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah.
While USDA already has staff working in offices nationwide, the D.C. headquarters houses many critical senior leadership positions. Yet locations in the upper South were not even considered.
The human cost of this relocation is alarming. Forcing 2,600 employees to uproot their lives on short notice will almost certainly cause massive turnover, crippling USDA’s ability to maintain the quality of its services. This disruption will directly harm Western Kentuckians who rely on USDA for critical support in food, agriculture, natural resources and economic development.
If Congress allows USDA to follow through on this plan, the consequences may be irreversible. USDA could lose approximately 75% of its D.C.-located staff and institutional knowledge, leaving America vulnerable to falling behind countries like China in global agriculture. Our farming safety net is at stake and Congress should demand USDA stop this relocation before it guts this vital department.
Elizabeth Riley,
Washington, D.C.
(Elizabeth Riley is a member of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, which represents USDA employees. She grew up in Hopkinsville.)
