Concord, N.H. – Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) voicing strong opposition to the Administration’s new reorganization plan that will hurt New England farmers and families
“The Trump Administration recently announced plans to upend the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), moving employees and key offices out of the northeast region of the country. This move is completely contrary to one of the stated principles of the reorganization, which is to ‘bring USDA closer to its customers…’,” wrote the members. “How will farmers in the northeast be better served by staff hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away? What kind of expertise do staff stationed in the south or west have with the farming practices of farmers in the northeast? How will SNAP program integrity improve and new provisions be smoothly implemented if the knowledgeable people at the Department are not there to assist states? […] This memo has left us with more questions than answers.”
The publicly released plan, a 5-page memo with scant details, was crafted without consultation with Congress and without input from key stakeholders like farmers and hungry families. The Administration has provided no details on how this “plan” will improve effectiveness, enhance services, or save the American people money. And while USDA recently started a comment period, the members are skeptical that the Department intends to take the comments seriously, given that Secretary Rollins has said the plan is “95 percent baked.”
Key stakeholders in the northeast—including 15 Members of Congress from the region who signed this letter—are rightly concerned about the closure of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Northeast Regional Office (NERO), which moves the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) entirely out of New England.
The authors of the letter wrote, “USDA NERO staff have developed expertise in how state agencies in the northeast operate and have maintained close working relationships with key staff at those agencies. This expertise is especially critical at this moment as states grapple with how to implement the recently enacted changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including the new cost-share and time limits.”
The letter concludes with the members requesting answers from USDA about the plan by August 29, 2025, and urges the Department to revoke the plan immediately.
Members of the New England delegation who signed this letter are: James P. McGovern (MA-02); Chellie Pingree (ME-01); Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-03); Jahana Hayes (CT-05); John B. Larson (CT-01); Chris Pappas (NH-01); Maggie Goodlander (NH-02); Ayanna Pressley (MA-07); Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08); Seth Moulton (MA-06); Joe Courtney (CT-02); Richard E. Neal (MA-01); Seth Magaziner (RI-02); Becca Balint (VT-AL); Lori Trahan (MA-03).
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