NEWS: Sen. Schiff Joins Colleagues in Raising Alarm on USDA’s Plans to Reorganize the Food and Nutrition Service

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, joined Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, and eight other colleagues in calling on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins to halt any further restructuring efforts until USDA can explain how the proposal would impact the crucial services the Food and Nutrition (FNS) provides, including its administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

"Contrary to USDA's stated purpose, consolidating staff away from the regions they work in makes it more difficult and expensive for FNS employees to get out into the field to do their jobs. This proposed reorganization will lead to reduced oversight quality, diminished technical assistance, and weakened relationships with state partners," wrote the Senators. "Furthermore, impacts of staff cuts and reorganization will hinder FNS' ability to responsibly oversee the implementation of the damaging changes to SNAP directed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. States will not receive enough support from FNS to efficiently implement SNAP changes, potentially leading to significant issues, including increased costs to states and further limits on program access."

"FNS is on the frontlines of our fight against hunger and is responsible for ensuring our kids get school meals, guaranteeing that qualified recipients receive Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and certifying that vendors and grocery stores can accept those benefits. We applaud any plan that allows FNS to more effectively end hunger in the United States. Unfortunately, no information shared by USDA has inspired confidence that this reorganization plan improves employees' ability to fulfill FNS' mission," the Senators continued.

In July, Secretary Rollins released a memorandum announcing a proposal to reorganize the Department by relocating USDA staff to five regional hubs across the country.

During the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, Schiff pressed USDA Deputy Secretary Vaden on USDA's plan, emphasizing that none of the hubs are in California, the largest agriculture producing state in the nation.

USDA officials have also unveiled a preliminary plan to reduce the number of FNS regional offices from seven to four locations: Fort Collins, Colo., Raleigh, N.C., Dallas, Texas, and Indianapolis, Ind. Closing regional offices and moving staff away from many of the communities FNS serves will endanger the ability of FNS to provide localized services. The Department has not formally solicited feedback from the stakeholders most affected by this proposed FNS reorganization, including state governments, stakeholder partners, direct beneficiaries of FNS programs, and FNS employees and their unions.

Even before Secretary Rollins' planned reorganization, large-scale reductions in staff at FNS negatively impacted FNS's ability to complete its mission. Since January 20, 2025, more than 15,000 USDA employees have been forced out of the agency, including approximately 500 FNS staff, most of whom were based outside of Washington, D.C. These staff reductions have led to longer wait times for state agencies needing support, delayed financial audits and management evaluations, and overall deterioration of nutrition programming.

President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill slashes federal funding for states' SNAP programs and cuts SNAP by nearly 20% through 2034-the largest cut to SNAP in history. About 4 million people, including around 1 million children, will lose all or a substantial amount of the food assistance they need to afford groceries.

In addition to Schiff and Welch, the letter was also signed by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Angus King (I-Maine), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

Background: Recently, Schiff and his colleagues successfully secured an extension to the public comment period for USDA's reorganization proposal.

The full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear Secretary Rollins,

We write to express serious concern with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) proposed plan to reorganize USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). On July 24, 2025, you released a memorandum declaring your intention to reorganize USDA by relocating USDA staff to five regional hubs across the country. Additionally, we understand there is a preliminary plan to reduce the number of FNS regional offices from seven to four locations: Fort Collins, CO, Raleigh, NC, Dallas, TX, and Indianapolis, IN. Closing regional offices and moving staff away from many of the communities FNS serves will not improve the ability of FNS to provide localized services. We implore USDA to halt any further efforts to cut and reorganize FNS and instead focus on improving the crucial services FNS provides to fight hunger in the United States.

Even before its planned reorganization, large-scale reductions in staff at FNS have already negatively impacted FNS's ability to complete its mission. Since January 20, 2025, more than 15,000 USDA employees have been forced out of the agency, including approximately 500 FNS staff, most of whom were based outside of Washington, D.C. These staff reductions have led to longer wait times for state agencies needing support, delayed financial audits and management evaluations, and overall deterioration of nutrition programming.

Closing regional offices and relocating staff will only exacerbate these issues.

Contrary to USDA's stated purpose, consolidating staff away from the regions they work in makes it more difficult and expensive for FNS employees to get out into the field to do their jobs. This proposed reorganization will lead to reduced oversight quality, diminished technical assistance, and weakened relationships with state partners.

Furthermore, impacts of staff cuts and reorganization will hinder FNS' ability to responsibly oversee the implementation of the damaging changes to SNAP directed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. States will not receive enough support from FNS to efficiently implement SNAP changes, potentially leading to significant issues, including increased costs to states and further limits on program access.

Moreover, USDA has not formally solicited feedback from the stakeholders most affected by this proposed FNS reorganization. State governments, stakeholder partners, direct beneficiaries of FNS programs, and FNS employees and their unions have all been left in the dark about this plan. While USDA opened a 30-day public comment period on its proposed reorganization, detailed information on reorganization plans for the numerous agencies held within USDA, including FNS, has not been made public.

We ask for responses to the following questions related to the FNS reorganization by no later than October 1, 2025.

1. Please provide a written report detailing current plans to reorganize FNS.
2. Please provide all comments relating to the FNS organization, accompanied by a summary that includes the number of comments received, breakdown of how many comments were submitted by employees or public, and the percentage of comments that support the closure of offices and relocation of staff.
3. Has USDA analyzed how relocating multiple FNS regional offices away from their respective states might impact staff's ability to provide direct technical assistance to their states? Please provide any such analyses.
4. What criteria were used to determine the appropriate staffing levels for the National Office/Headquarters? How has the Department decided which positions will be retained at the National level versus shifted to regional hubs?
   • How have workload analyses, program needs, or staff expertise been formally assessed to guide these decisions?
5. Will job responsibilities be redefined as a part of this move?
6. What processes will be put in place to prevent duplication of effort or gaps in oversight between regional hubs and any remaining National Office functions?
   • How will the Department ensure that program monitoring, data analysis, and policy implementation remain consistent and effective across all regions during and after the transition?
7. How were USDA staff engaged or consulted in the planning and decision-making process for this reorganization?
   • What opportunities were provided for staff input or feedback on the plan prior to the publication of the Secretary's July 24, 2025, memorandum?
8. What is the timeline for closing FNS regional offices and relocating staff?

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