Hearings to examine a review of the USDA reorganization proposal.

Boozman, John: morning and welcome. It's my privilege to call this hearing to order to review the USDA reorganization proposal. I welcome our witness judge Stephen Vaden deputy secretary of agriculture. I appreciate your ability to appear before the committee on such short notice, and the opportunity to engage thoughtfully on the future of USDA, and how it will continue to efficiently serve our farmers ranchers and rural communities. Despite despite being at the helm for less than six months, Secretary Rollins has already made a significant and positive impact on the agriculture sector and rural America. I appreciate her commitment to serving our nation's farmers ranchers and foresters. She's worked tirelessly to implement emergency economic assistance and supplemental disaster relief passed in December, to ensure that American farmers and ranchers receive emergency assistance to keep their family farms in operation, and to help them recover from natural disasters. She's championed provisions that bolster the farm safety net crop insurance research or animal health infrastructure and trade promotion programs Congress delivered in the one big beautiful bill. Secretary has also taken action to defend American livestock against the growing threat of new world screw worm as well as successfully refined in the right, I'm sorry. Successfully reigned in the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak that has significantly impacted poultry flocks and dairy operations across the u.s. She continues to be a voice for American agriculture and those who feed, clothe, and fuel our nation. Last week secretary Rollins announced a major reorganization of USDA. I appreciate the secretary's emphasis on improving effectiveness accountability enhancing services reducing bureaucracy and cutting waste I support those goals as we examine the proposal we need to fully understand its implications for the people USDA serves especially how reorganization will affect USDA's boots on the ground presence in rural America and delivery of essential services from its founding USDA's being essential to American life supporting farmers and ranchers stewarding natural resources investing in rural development and advancing innovation in food and agriculture as the department evolves to meet 21st century challenges it's important that any organization enhances its ability to deliver on these commitments I share the secretary's desire to ensure USDA's upper USDA operates efficiently is a good steward in taxpayer dollars and meets the needs of agriculture and rural America we must also prioritize what matters most to producers and rural communities service responsiveness and results USDA is often the most visible face of the federal government in rural America that presence whether through FSA offices conservation staff or rural development programs needs to be preserved and empowered as we review this plan I look forward to learning more about how this proposal strengthens the USDA's ability to deliver on the ground support implementation of the farm bill and serve as a reliable partner to people it was created as support deputy secretary Vaden, I recognize you've only been in the apartment for a little over three weeks after being sworn in on July 7th so you were involved but not that involved yeah a lot's gone on in the last three weeks I'm sure but again we want to thank you for coming on very very short notice which was due to the fact that hopefully we'll get out of here in the next few days for a few weeks so again thank you for being here to testify I now turn to our ranking member senator Klobuchar