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USDA opens $11 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance program and outlines reorganization that will relocate mission areas

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) press conference · February 25, 2026

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Summary

USDA said it opened applications for the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program with $11 billion in targeted support and described elements of a reorganization that will move Food and Nutrition Service staff from leased space and relocate mission areas into new hubs by next school year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the opening of applications for the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, describing $11,000,000,000 in targeted support for producers. "On Monday, we opened applications for our Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, providing $11,000,000,000 in targeted support," an official said at the press conference.

Agriculture leaders presented the program launch as one component of a broader reorganization intended to align USDA resources with core agricultural priorities. Officials said the department has administered more than 25 disaster block grants, negotiated more than 15 new trade deals, and taken steps to reduce certain labor costs for producers, including a change to the H-2A adverse effect wage rate that officials said has saved farmers an estimated $2,000,000,000 annually (as stated in the transcript).

USDA also announced workplace changes tied to the reorganization. The department said it will move Food and Nutrition Service staff currently in leased Alexandria, Va., space into USDA-owned offices in Washington (the transcript cites the Yates Building and the George Washington Carver Center) and will make mission-area relocation announcements in the weeks ahead. Deputy Secretary Steven Baden said the department is accounting for employees with school-aged children and aims to have staff in their new hub locations in time for the next school year.

Officials emphasized that the reorganization will proceed through required legal, union and regulatory steps and reiterated the four pillars guiding the work: workforce alignment, closer proximity to customers, reduced management layers, and consolidation of redundant support functions.

Next steps: USDA will publish mission-area move plans and continue to accept Farmer Bridge Assistance applications. Officials did not provide program eligibility details or an application deadline during the press conference; those details were not specified in the transcript.