House Agriculture chairman Collin Peterson floated a bill on Wednesday to keep local USDA offices open during any future government shutdowns. “There’s no sense not to have them working,” he said. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue responded, “Couldn’t agree more. I think the best solution is no shutdown.”
Peterson’s bill would exempt USDA employees from being furloughed during a shutdown if they run the farm program or similar “mandatory” programs, such as the Conservation Reserve. “I think all the employees at FSA [Farm Service Agency] would qualify,” said the Minnesota Democrat.
The FSA, with roughly 4,000 employees plus 7,400 non-federal staff workers, operates the farm support program. When farmers talk about their USDA “county” office, they mean their local FSA office. FSA offices were closed for most of the 35-day partial government shutdown that ended in late January, although some were opened on a part-time basis to handle a limited menu of business.