FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Reana Kovalcik
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net

OIG Report Fuels Foul Play Claims in USDA Research Agency Relocation

Washington, DC, August 5, 2019 – Following the release of a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of the Inspector General concluding that the USDA may have broken the law in relocating key research agencies (the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture) without obtaining congressional approval, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released the following comment:

“If USDA can ignore the appropriations acts that Congress passes and the President signs by saying, after the fact, that they are unconstitutional, then there is little reason to continue to have appropriations bills,” said Juli Obudzinski, Interim Policy Director at NSAC. “The new report from the Office of Inspector General brings into sharp relief the need for Congress, on a bipartisan basis, to re-assert its authority. We urge Congress to take this information as an opportunity to end once and for all Secretary Perdue’s strong-arm tactics and stop all action on the relocations until Congress has given its formal approval – or denial.”

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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net