Klobuchar Questions Tariffs, USDA Reorganization

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar raised concerns about rising input costs, tariffs and USDA staffing cuts during a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing. Klobuchar said farmers are facing increasing financial stress. “The administration’s across-the-board tariffs have been terrible for farmers.” Klobuchar also questioned the timing of USDA’s reorganization effort, saying agency staffing reductions could impact service to farmers during a challenging period for agriculture. “My concern with the USDA right now is this pushing forward of a reorg plan right in the middle of all of this mess. The department has already lost around twenty percent of its employees, meaning fewer FSA staff to process farm loan and disaster aid applications, just at a time when farmers are facing more problems.”