Derek Schmidt

Two Kansas representatives introduced bipartisan legislation to prevent the closure of local USDA offices.

The USDA Field Office Stability Act would also require sufficient staffing for offices to remain open during business hours.

Kansas has reportedly lost over 500 USDA employees, or 32% of its workforce, since January 2025.

The proposed bill aims to ensure farmers and ranchers have reliable, in-person access to USDA programs and services.

Two Kansas representatives are teaming up with bipartisan legislation to try to stop President Donald Trump's administration from closing or relocating staff of local U.S. Department of Agriculture field offices.

U.S. Reps. Derek Schmidt, R-Kansas, and Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, announced June 17 they would introduce legislation called the USDA Field Office Stability Act.

The legislation would ban the USDA from closing or relocating county offices and service centers operated by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Rural Development (RD). There would be limited exceptions for relocations within the same county and offices within 20 miles of another in-state office.

It would also mandate that USDA maintain sufficient staffing levels for the offices to be open during normal business hours.

"Farmers, ranchers, and rural communities depend on local USDA offices to access the programs and services they need," Schmidt said in a statement. "Whether it's disaster assistance, conservation programs, farm loans, or technical support, Kansans deserve reliable, in-person access to USDA resources.

"Yet many small offices are staffed by only one or two people, which means a reduction in staffing can leave the office unable to function. Our bipartisan bill helps ensure USDA remains accessible to the people it serves and that rural communities are not left behind."

Schmidt previously signed onto a letter to raising concerns about staffing shortages at local FSA and NRCS offices.

Davids, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee, said Kansas has lost more than 500 employees of USDA, or about 32% of its workforce. Nationally, the USDA has lost more than 24,000 employees since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

Trump launched the Department of Government Efficiency, which cut jobs and shuttered some offices of federal agencies, including USDA.

"Farmers and rural communities shouldn't have to worry about whether the USDA office they depend on will still be there or properly staffed when they need help," Davids said in a statement. "Kansas has already lost more than 500 USDA employees since last year, and when offices are understaffed or disappearing, it makes it harder for rural communities to access basic services they've earned and deliver food more cheaply."

Kansas Farmers Union president Donn Teske supports the legislation. He said county-level staffing shortages have long impeded programs, but cuts to the FSA, NRCS and other USDA agencies "have been detrimental to rural America and to the agencies' ability to fulfill their mission."

"Kansas Farmers Union opposes county office downsizing, consolidation, relocation, and/or closures," Taske said in a statement. "We call on USDA to increase funding, hiring, training, and pay for its staff so they can continue to provide quality service to the agriculture community."

Multiple members of Congress raised concerns about USDA staffing levels, including at local FSA offices, during House and Senate hearings earlier this month.

Agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins told the House Agriculture Committee that local FSA offices are important. However, she also said, "There's no doubt there is room for efficiency."

"It is statute that there has to be an office in every county," Rollins said. "So no offices have closed."

But at least one congressman — U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts — told Rollins that farmers "in some states, they can't even call their local USDA offices because some of them have been closed."

Rollins also admitted that "some of them are operating at 50, 60% of the staff that they had before we came into office." She said that when specific FSA offices get behind and need help, the solution has been to relocate staff from other areas of the state. She asked members of Congress to reach out "if you have specific FSA offices" that are struggling.

"Making sure those are staffed appropriately and they have the resources to respond to the farmers quickly is one of my top priorities," Rollins said of local FSA offices.

Rollins also acknowledged the USDA is working to rehire staff.

The federal jobs website shows multiple vacancies in Kansas, with job titles of loan analyst, county program analyst and county executive director.