Latest from Food Politics: American tragedy redux: USDA is relocating more programs out of the DC area

It’s deja vu all over again. During the Trump I administration, I wrote repeatedly about the tragic relocation of the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) to Kansas.   As I said, the Government Accountability Office confirmed my analysis. Why ...

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By Marion Nestle April 28 2026 American tragedy redux: USDA is relocating more programs out of the DC area It’s deja vu all over again. During the Trump I administration, I wrote repeatedly about the tragic relocation of the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) to Kansas.  As I said, the Government Accountability Office confirmed my analysis. Why tragic?  I don’t have anything against Kansas, but expecting long-time residents of the Washington, DC area to uproot their families to move there seemed designed for only one purpose: to gut the ERS of its experts and to force it to stop producing sophisticated—and honest—analyses of inconvenient food issues. In this, the move succeeded admirably.  Many experts quit.  Some were rehired to the DC area, but as far as I can tell, the ERS has never recovered.  It continues to publish routine statistical data, but the analytic reports have stopped.  This is an enormous loss to my work in particular, but also to society. Now the USDA is doing it again, and finished the job on ERS. Last week, the USDA issued two press releases on the relocations: I.  USDA Advances Reorganization and Restructuring of the Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area to Improve Efficiency and Better Serve American Farmers This effort refocuses REE’s structure on mission delivery—streamlining operations, strengthening leadership accountability, and positioning resources closer to the agricultural communities USDA serves. The updated structure will be guided by five core principles: strengthening leadership accountability, reducing organizational complexity, ensuring consistency across agencies where appropriate, leveraging emerging tools and technologies, and aligning clearly with USDA’s priorities. II.  USDA Announces Food Safety and Inspection Service Reorganization, Establishes National Food Safety Center in Iowa This one says pretty much the same thing. Let me translate what the USDA is really doing. It is moving the hub of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to Urbandale, Iowa where it will establish a National Food Safety Center with about 200 employees relocated from Washington, DC (if they agree to move).  It also is relocating employees to Fort Collins, Colorado, and to a Science Center in Georgia (ditto). Ostensibly, this is to bring FSIS closer to its constituents to strengthen “its ability to protect public health and ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply.” In practice, the moves will gut the agency, destroy its expertise, and disable it for years to come. That has to be the intent. Add these to the 27,000 people who have already left USDA since Trump II, 37% of its staff.  Surely, some of those people helped get the agency’s work done. Who will be hired to replace the people who choose not to relocate?  I’m guessing those who go along with the current administration’s ideological agenda. As I said, tragedy. The post American tragedy redux: USDA is relocating more programs out of the DC area appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle      Related Posts Just as expected, SNAP participation is declining, and by a lot USDA school food rules allow plenty of ultra-processed snacks USDA is closing buildings, relocating staff, and downsizing—a lot.   Now Available: What to Eat Now My new book, What to Eat Now, is officially out! It's both a field guide to food shopping in America and a reflection on how to eat well—and deliciously. For more information and to order, click here. You can explore the full archive of this (almost) daily blog at foodpolitics.com, where you'll also find information about my books, articles, media interviews, upcoming lectures, favorite resources, and FAQs. Visit the Site » ​​​​​​​ Marion Nestle Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, Emerita © Marion Nestle. You're receiving this email because you've signed up to receive updates from us. If you'd prefer not to receive updates, you can unsubscribe. Safely Unsubscribe • Archives • Preferences • Contact • Subscribe • Privacy

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