Senators Amy Klobuchar and Elissa Slotkin, both ranking members of key Senate agriculture committees, have led a group of lawmakers in raising concerns about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed reorganization plan. In a letter addressed to USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden, the senators warned that the changes could disrupt important animal and plant health activities.
“We write to express our strong concerns that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Department-wide reorganization plan could disrupt critical animal and plant health activities,” the Senators stated. “The USDA should not hamper its capacity to address the dangerous threats posed by New World Screwworm (NWS) and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) to livestock and poultry, like so many animal health threats faced by the United States, through coordination, monitoring, communication, and research and scientific development.”
The letter points out that USDA has experienced significant workforce challenges in recent years. According to the senators, over 1,300 employees from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), including about 100 veterinarians, have left due to the Deferred Resignation Program since the start of this administration. An additional 500 employees have departed for other reasons. Many of these workers held key roles in Veterinary Services, Plant Protection & Quarantine, and Wildlife Services—divisions responsible for preventing disease threats from entering the country and for providing deterrent services at airports.
“USDA is already reeling from the chaotic firing, rehiring, and resignation of key workers. Since the beginning of this Administration alone, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has seen over 1,300 employees leave due to the Deferred Resignation Program, including around 100 veterinarian positions, with more than 500 additional employees departing due to other attrition,” they wrote. “Most of these employees were in key animal and plant health positions working within the divisions of Veterinary Services, Plant Protection & Quarantine, and Wildlife Services, preventing dangerous plant and animal disease threats from entering the United States and providing critical deterrent services to airports to avert bird strikes on planes.”
Despite an August announcement regarding plans to address New World Screwworm (NWS), lawmakers noted that staffing levels remain low. They highlighted that only two listings for Veterinary Medical Officers have been posted in 2025 compared with fifty-two such listings in 2024.
The senators also criticized USDA’s communication following a recent human case of NWS identified by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). They said USDA did not provide timely or complete information to stakeholders or the public after learning about this infection on August 4.
“We strongly believe that USDA should not move forward with a reorganization plan that will cause even further disruptions that could harm not only the health of livestock and crops, leading to higher grocery prices and losses to farmers and ranchers, but also the health of the American public,” they wrote.
The letter raises questions about how USDA will maintain coordination with agencies like CDC if staff are relocated away from Washington D.C., how it will ensure ongoing monitoring work is not disrupted amid staff losses or relocations at ARS or APHIS divisions, how communication lines will be maintained across stakeholders in animal health communities during any transition period as well as how research efforts will continue without interruption.
Alongside Klobuchar and Slotkin, Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) signed onto this inquiry.
The full text of their letter is available online.
