In a push against the USDA's decision to shutter the Regional Food Business Center (RFBC) program, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar of Texas, alongside 37 House Democrats, has voiced firm opposition; a letter directed at Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins calls for an about-face on the issue, according to Congresswoman Escobar's Office. The members emphatically argue for the significance of RFBCs in bolstering local food chains, and without mincing words, they say that the RFBCs "have consistently helped farmers get more of their products to market and strengthened the overall resilience of regional food systems."
This group of Congressional Democrats insists that the halting of the program following the President's Executive Order has caused considerable and immediate turmoil, disrupting partnerships and posing a risk to local supply chains, food, and economic security with the unintended impact being a substantial blow to the progress and potential for building robust local food systems, Congresswoman Escobar's Office reports. "It was unexpected to see this program eliminated, especially after your department's release of the Farmers First agenda, which underscores the critical role of small family farms and the barriers they face in accessing markets and infrastructure," they emphasized in the aforesaid letter.
The letter goes further, posing pointed questions to Secretary Rollins about the decision-making process, including whether stakeholder engagement occurred before shutting down the program and whether any modifications were considered over outright termination. These concerns signal deep unease about the impact on the communities involved and the approach the USDA has taken in communication about the program's closure.
Not confined to just questions, the House Democrats are seeking comprehensive answers by the 31st of August, 2025, on methods the USDA will employ to sustain the remaining scopes of RFBC activities, and importantly; if there's a plan in place to avoid worsening the disparities in access to resources for small and mid-sized producers, especially those in remote or underserved areas as reported in the Democratic members' letter sourced from Escobar's office. Additionally, there are queries regarding the fate of the remaining RFBC funds, probing if there's an earmark for them in other agriculture-supporting initiatives that would still cater to those smaller agricultural enterprises.
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