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Senators press USDA on research lab changes; deputy secretary says most labs will be unaffected
Summary
Lawmakers raised alarms about potential closures or consolidation of research offices after Secretary Rollins’ memo; Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden told senators 90 of 94 Agricultural Research Service laboratories would be unaffected and that Stoneville and other critical sites are intended to remain in place subject to consultation.
Senators from agricultural states pressed Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden about the reorganization’s effect on USDA research agencies and field laboratories, citing past relocations that lawmakers and the Government Accountability Office found disrupted outputs and staffing.
Ranking Member Senator Amy Klobuchar highlighted previous moves of the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and cited a GAO finding that ERS produced fewer reports and NIFA took longer to process grants after the earlier relocation. Several senators said…
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