Representative Ike Skelton

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: Lara Battles or
Tuesday, September 27, 2005	Whitney Frost (202)225-2876

SKELTON CALLS FOR HEARINGS ON “FSA TOMORROW”

Washington, DC – In a joint letter, Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO) and Congressman Marion Berry (D-AR) urged the Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee to hold hearings on the Administration’s plans to restructure the Farm Service Agency (FSA), an initiative known as “FSA Tomorrow”.

“As we understand it, this plan would redefine the office structure and functions of the Farm Service Agency and would likely result in staff reductions and office closures,” wrote Skelton and Berry.

“We think it is fair to say that Members of Congress do not know what USDA intends to accomplish with ‘FSA Tomorrow.’ From what little information we have received, this plan appears to be an attempt to downsize FSA and diminish a critical agricultural link between Washington and rural America. While we are trying to learn the breadth of USDA’s proposal, it seems ill advised to make it more difficult for producers to access FSA offices at a time when Congress is preparing to write a new farm bill and when natural disasters are prevalent throughout the countryside,” wrote Skelton and Berry.

“In order to help Members of Congress and the American people gain a better understanding of USDA’s true intent, the House Agriculture Committee should immediately hold hearings to examine the ‘FSA Tomorrow’ initiative. Producers, FSA employees, commodity groups, and the Executive Branch should have the opportunity to fully explain their views on ‘FSA Tomorrow’ and determine how these policy changes will impact them. It would also be wise to investigate whether USDA is overstepping its bounds by administering changes at the FSA that may not meet the approval of Congress,” wrote Skelton and Berry.

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Attachment: 9/27/05 letter to Chairman Goodlatte

September 28, 2005

The Honorable Bob Goodlatte
Chairman
House Committee on Agriculture
2240 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman,

We recently learned about a U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative known as “FSA Tomorrow.” As we understand it, this plan would redefine the office structure and functions of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and would likely result in staff reductions and office closures.

USDA has not fully informed all Members of Congress of its plans to overhaul FSA and has only released documents in a piecemeal fashion. It appears that most of the information obtained by Congress has been leaked by concerned citizens and employees of the Department rather than openly distributed to all House and Senate members by the Executive Branch officials who are accountable to the American people through the United States Congress.

We think it is fair to say that Members of Congress do not know what USDA intends to accomplish with “FSA Tomorrow.” From what little information we have received, this plan appears to be an attempt to downsize FSA and diminish a critical agricultural link between Washington and rural America. While we are trying to learn the breadth of USDA’s proposal, it seems ill advised to make it more difficult for producers to access FSA offices at a time when Congress is preparing to write a new farm bill and when natural disasters are prevalent throughout the countryside.

In order to help Members of Congress and the American people gain a better understanding of USDA’s true intent, the House Agriculture Committee should immediately hold hearings to examine the “FSA Tomorrow” initiative. Producers, FSA employees, commodity groups, and the Executive Branch should have the opportunity to fully explain their views on “FSA Tomorrow” and determine how these policy changes will impact them. It would also be wise to investigate whether USDA is overstepping its bounds by administering changes at the FSA that may not meet the approval of Congress.

We look forward to hearing back from you in the very near future.


Sincerely,

IKE SKELTON	MARION BERRY
Member of Congress	Member of Congress

cc: The Honorable Collin C. Peterson
Ranking Member

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Attachment: 9/27/05 letter to Chairman Goodlatte is a (pdf) file, requires a Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO) serves as Ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. For further information, please contact Lara Battles or Whitney Frost at (202)225-2876, or check Congressman Skelton's web site at http://www.house.gov/skelton.