U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden raising concerns and demanding answers on how the restructuring of USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area will affect scientific innovation and data that supports New Mexico farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

“The REE reorganization and restructuring announced this April…could result in decreased agency capacity, further deteriorating the Department’s ability to conduct research, administer funding, and produce timely and reliable data products,” the senators wrote to USDA Deputy Secretary Vaden. “In order to address these concerns, we ask that you provide a detailed description of actions the Department has taken to minimize disruptions to farmers, ranchers, and ag researchers.”

“It is our goal to make sure the REE mission functions as Congress intends—focused on helping farmers, ranchers, and rural communities overcome the challenges they face through scientific innovation and complex data analysis,” the senators concluded.

The letter is led by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). Alongside Heinrich and Luján, the letter is signed by U.S. Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

The full text of the letter is here.