Attorney General Anthony G. Brown submitted comments opposing the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) reorganization plan that would close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Prince George’s County, Maryland. USDA’s reorganization plan threatens over 1,000 Maryland jobs and ignores federal laws that require Congressional approval before closing the research facility.
“This plan would threaten the jobs and financial security of hundreds of Marylanders whose expertise and dedication have made BARC a premier agricultural research center for more than a century,” said Attorney General Brown. “The Prince George’s County workforce brings irreplaceable expertise and knowledge to their work that has been built up over generations, helping feed families not just in Maryland but all across the United States.”
BARC is a 6,500-acre research center that has operated in the state for more than a century. The facility houses the George Washington Carver Center, the location of the headquarters staff of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, and several University of Maryland research programs, including a leading turfgrass research facility and long-term agricultural research fields. BARC employs over a thousand federal workers and supports hundreds of jobs in the local community.
On July 24, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a sweeping reorganization plan to move USDA employees away from the Washington area, claiming little more than high housing costs and salaries as its reasons for doing so. However, Secretary Rollins has admitted that up to half of affected employees may choose to leave the agency rather than relocate.
The reorganization plan lacks important details on timing and plans to mitigate impacts to employees and was created without input from Congress or local communities. The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on July 30 to question USDA about the rushed plan. In response to the criticism, USDA opened a public comment period on August 1.
In the comment letter, Attorney General Brown argues that USDA’s plan violates federal law in three key ways.
The agency uses misleading data and impermissibly vague reasoning to justify its decisions.
The agency failed to consider how the closure would harm employees and local communities that depend on BARC’s presence in Maryland.
Federal law requires Congressional approval before the agency may relocate employees or close BARC, which USDA does not have.
The Office of the Attorney General developed its comment letter with input from client agencies across the state and urges the USDA to fully consider and publish all other comments it receives in response to the reorganization plan.
