The Trump administration overturned the USDA’s decision to close eight California posts bases, according to a letter from agency Head Brook Rollins.
The face came in facilitating a group of Democratic California lawmakers led by Sen. Adam Schiff. Senator Adam Schiff debated plans from the informal bureau to close offices in Los Angeles, Blythe, Madera, Shasta, Oxnard, Salinas, Woodland, Woodland, Oxnard, Shasta and Malachida, due to the efficiency of the informal government.
“The closure of these offices will seriously hinder USDA’s ability to support farmers essential to California’s farming success,” the lawmaker wrote in a May 14 letter to Rollins and Stephen Ehikian, acting managers of the U.S. General Services Agency.
The original closure plan came amidst the end of layoffs and leases at government agencies across the country led by Elon Musk’s Doge team, including nearly 20 California offices related to science, agriculture and the environment. Musk then resigned.
The Trump administration said the end would provide Americans with substantial cost savings.
According to the DOGE database, USDA offices that are scheduled to close include a total of $809,000 for Farm Services Agency, Natural Resource Conservation Services, Agricultural Marketing Services and U.S. Forest Services.
In their letter, the MP relied on USDA field offices to fund loans, grants, technical assistance and in-person meetings with USDA staff, saying, “If these important centres are closed, farmers need to have to rely on farmers.”
They pointed out that California is the country’s largest agricultural nation, and that its farm received nearly $59.4 billion in cash receipts for its production in 2023 alone.
The closures would put additional burns on farmers “already navigation an uncertain agricultural economy” due to funding freezes, tariffs and other challenges, according to the lawmakers, who also included Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), Jim Costa (D-Fresno), Adam Gray (D-Merced), Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley Village), Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), Sydney Kamlager Dove (D-LOS Angle) and Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose).
In a May 30 response, Rollins said he had instructed the GSA to withdraw notices of termination for eight of the nine offices. The office was a 536-square-foot front post base for the U.S. Forest Service with a lease cost of $12,000 per year, according to the Doge database.
“The USDA is still being discussed with the GSA if it is possible to continue its lease, or if it is able to perform services provided by its office in a better place,” writes Rollins.
She added, “We support optimizing building capabilities and consolidating underutilized offices while continuing to prioritize frontline services for farmers, ranchers and rural communities,” and reducing inefficiencies.
Sif supported the decision.
“We would like to thank Secretary Rollins for engaging with us to ensure that Californians have access to these critical services,” he said in a statement. “We will continue to push our administration to ensure that our key USDA offices in California continue to operate uninterruptedly.”
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