The U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Stephen Alexander Vaden appears before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry to answer questions about the USDA's recently announced reorganization.

 

The reorganization was announced last week and will relocate staff to five hub locations around the country. One of those locations will be in Kansas City. Kansas Senator and Ag Committee Member Jerry Moran says he is pleased to see the agency move closer to the people it serves.

 

He also pressed the Deputy Secretary for his assurance that USDA’s Kansas City Commodity Office will continue to play a role in the function of international food aid programs, including Food for Peace, and invited him to visit USDA’s National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility located in Manhattan. Moran also asked Vaden about the USDA's Risk Management Agency and remote work. Vaden says there may still be some remote work in that agency.

 

During the hearing, Moran emphasized to the Deputy Secretary that the U.S.D.A. employees being relocated should be required to appear in person and not work remotely.

 

Other cities that are set to become USDA hubs include Raleigh, North Carolina; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah.