Some 29 Senate Democrats, including all of the party’s members on the Agriculture Committee, signed a letter to President Trump objecting to his proposals to scale back USDA rural economic development programs. “These cuts, coupled with the recently announced USDA reorganization, deepens our concern that the decisions made by this administration will harm small towns and rural America,” wrote the senators.
The White House’s proposed budget for fiscal 2018 would, among other things, eliminate the USDA’s water and sewer programs for rural communities, do away with programs to support rural businesses, and cut back on funding for rural housing and broadband services. The reorganization announced by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue would eliminate the position of undersecretary for rural development and replace the post with an assistant who reports to Perdue on rural projects.
“We will continue to fight for rural America by rejecting these budget cuts, and we ask that you reconsider USDA’s plan and maintain the undersecretary for rural development,” said the letter. Senators signing the letter included Senate Democratic Leader Dick Durbin of Illinois.