White House Budget Proposes FSA, NRCS Closures

Reports continue to say the Trump administration is planning to severely scale back or end all funding for many of the key programs in the Agriculture Department.  According to White House documents obtained by Government Executive, the Administration wants to cut workers and whole offices at the local level.

A document from the Office of Management and Budget proposes fiscal 2026 funding levels that would gut research and conservation efforts and trim almost all program budgets across the board.  OMB said many difficult decisions will become necessary to reach that proposed spending level for the upcoming fiscal year.  FSA, NRCS, and USDA’s Rural Development employ almost 20,000 workers between them.

One official who helps oversee the agencies said the proposed changes to the budget would lead to office closures at the local level and affect people face-to-face with farmers. 

The U.S. Forest Service is planning to consolidate its nine regional offices into as few as three, according to a source briefed on the matter, while also eliminating some of its five Research Stations. The nation’s 154 National Forests are expected to be consolidated and the plan is to move the Wildland Fire division into another part of the government

Click Here to read the entire article from Government Executive.

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com