Klobuchar, Welch, Colleagues Raise Concerns About USDA Rural Development Reorganization

WASHINGTON - Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Peter Welch (D-VT), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, are leading 20 of their colleagues in raising strong concerns about the plan to reorganize the Rural Development mission area at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"We write with significant concern regarding the reorganization of the Rural Development mission area at the U.S. Department of Agriculture," wrote the Senators. "Rural communities, small businesses, and families will lose access to important services if the proposed reorganization plan moves forward. Rural Development is a unique division within the Department, supporting agriculture and ensuring that rural communities prosper by administering grants and loans to support rural businesses, providing financial support for rural housing, financing the construction of rural health clinics and daycare centers, and championing critical infrastructure projects for water, electric, or broadband."

"In order for rural communities to benefit from these projects, the Rural Development agency must have the capacity to process applications and disburse funds," the Senators continued. "Rural Development's depletion of staff has already left rural America without the support it needs as the prices of gas, groceries, and agricultural inputs are skyrocketing as a result of tariffs and foreign conflicts. Without adequate and expert staff, the money that Congress has appropriated to help rural communities will not reach its intended beneficiaries."

Along with Klobuchar and Welch, the letter was signed by Senators Van Hollen (D-MD), King (I-ME), Slotkin (D-MI), Heinrich (D-NM), Warnock (D-GA), Durbin (D-IL), Murray (D-WA), Bennet (D-CO), Baldwin (D-WI), Warner (D-VA), Merkley (D-OR), Booker (D-NJ), Alsobrooks (D-MD), Smith (D-MN), Fetterman (D-PA), Sanders (I-VT), Luján (D-NM), Wyden (D-OR), Schiff (D-CA), and Shaheen (D-NH).

The full letter is available here and below.

Dear Deputy Secretary Vaden:

We write with significant concern regarding the reorganization of the Rural Development mission area at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rural communities, small businesses, and families will lose access to important services if the proposed reorganization plan moves forward.

Rural Development is a unique division within the Department, supporting agriculture and ensuring that rural communities prosper by administering grants and loans to support rural businesses, providing financial support for rural housing, financing the construction of rural health clinics and daycare centers, and championing critical infrastructure projects for water, electric, or broadband.

In order for rural communities to benefit from these projects, the Rural Development agency must have the capacity to process applications and disburse funds. The mission area has already lost about 36 percent of its staff last year, with nearly a third of those who left having more than 20 years of USDA experience. The reorganization plan for Rural Development will result in even further cuts, with 60 percent of staff in the National Capital Region being required to relocate to St. Louis or Dallas.

Recent court filings reveal the intention of these relocations. Internal memos set a goal of reducing Rural Development staff by 50 percent, according to a March 13, 2025 Agency RIF and Reorganization Plan submission, achieved through forced relocations because the agency was "anticipating that a significant number of employees will decline geographic reassignments …."

Rural Development's depletion of staff has already left rural America without the support it needs as the prices of gas, groceries, and agricultural inputs are skyrocketing as a result of tariffs and foreign conflicts. Without adequate and expert staff, the money that Congress has appropriated to help rural communities will not reach its intended beneficiaries.

Please provide a response to the following requests about the planned reorganization by August 5, 2026:

1. What analysis did the Department conduct to determine the impacts of staffing cuts on delivering Rural Development services?
2. Please provide a current breakdown of staffing levels and projection of staffing for the next two years by sub-mission area.
3. Given the significant depletion of staff, is Rural Development hiring now or planning to recruit new staff in the next three months? If so, for what positions and where?
4. If USDA anticipates hiring new staff, how will the Department ensure they receive the training needed to effectively serve rural communities with the required expertise and level of service?
5. How does the USDA plan to successfully recruit the next generation of Rural Development employees?
6. While we appreciate the willingness to modernize Rural Development's technology, previous efforts have been unsuccessful and costly. How will the Department ensure that these technology projects remain within budget and on time? When will these new technologies be available to staff and customers?

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

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