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Members warn some FSA county offices are left effectively empty after deferred resignations; Rollins asks for lists
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Summary
Lawmakers told USDA that many Farm Service Agency county offices were operating with two or fewer staff — in some cases none — after a round of deferred resignations; Secretary Rollins said she would review office‑by‑office and asked members to provide lists of affected offices.
WASHINGTON — House members raised alarms that Farm Service Agency county offices were operating with minimal or no staff after a wave of deferred resignations, a situation they said threatens delivery of producer‑facing services.
Representative Bishop told the subcommittee he had heard that following the first round of deferred resignations "nearly a quarter of the over 2,000 producer facing FSA offices had 2 or fewer staff as of March 20th," and said some offices reported lease terminations and shuttering without clear notice. "How can you assure us that FSA can continue to serve farmers when there are offices with literally 0 staff and their offices are closing without the department's knowledge?" Bishop asked.
Secretary Brooke Rollins acknowledged concerns and said USDA is treating FSA offices as a top priority. "If in fact some of these offices have closed, I need to get the list of that because we are working office by office... If you'll let us know where that is and the offices that are... we will work together to address that," Rollins said. She added that the department described personnel moves as deferred resignations rather than firings and said, "no one was ever fired from USDA. It was always deferred resignation." Rollins invited members to forward specific office names so USDA could follow up.
Why it matters: FSA county offices are the primary local interface for farm loans, disaster assistance and program enrollment. Staff shortages can impede access to timely emergency payments and program services, particularly for smaller and specialty producers.
Next steps: USDA said it would work office by office and requested lists of affected offices so headquarters could address staffing and lease issues. Members said they would provide examples for immediate follow-up.
