A coalition of 22 food and agriculture organizations signed a letter urging the Administration not to cut agricultural offices inside the State Department. We understand reorganization decisions and staffing terminations may be scheduled for late next week.

The was sent to the Secretary of State, Secretary of Agriculture, and the United States Trade Representative. A copy of the letter is below for reference.

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Secretary Rubio, Secretary Rollins, and Ambassador Greer:

The undersigned organizations write to express deep concern over the proposed cuts to agricultural offices inside the U.S. Department of State. While we support the Administration’s efforts to streamline U.S. foreign policy, the Economic and Business Affairs Bureau’s Office of Agricultural Policy, and the International Organizations Bureau’s Office of Economic Development Affairs are critically important to the global interests of U.S. agricultural stakeholders.

Agricultural policy is foreign policy. What is innovated, grown, produced, manufactured in, and exported from the United States holds the reputation of America’s rich farming, ranching and rural history. U.S. farmers and producers feed the world and set the standards for agricultural production and safety, making a strong understanding of agricultural issues in a diplomatic and negotiation context crucial in broader foreign policy spheres. Without strong voices advocating for U.S. producers in these spaces, the United States risks ceding its global agricultural leadership to foreign countries.

The Economic and Business Affairs Bureau’s Office of Agricultural Policy (EB/AGP) is the Department’s focal point for U.S. agricultural stakeholders. From negotiating trade agreements, to shaping international standards on agricultural issues, to combating foreign influence that undermines U.S. agricultural interests, EB/AGP’s work ensures that foreign policy objectives uplift the U.S. as the premier leader in agriculture globally. EB/AGP protects farmers and stakeholders by defending billions of dollars of U.S. exports in major international venues like the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and EB/AGP works to ensure U.S. farmers are unencumbered by nontariff trade barriers that stifle innovation and reduce revenue. The office serves as the primary State Department liaison to USTR and USDA, and decades of coordination has increased the efficiency of the Executive Branch interagency process on regulatory, trade, and foreign policy negotiations impacting U.S. agricultural exports.

Within the International Organizations Bureau (IO), the Office of Economic and Development Affairs (EDA) is integral to defending U.S. agricultural interests during negotiations at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Under the first Trump Administration, IO/EDA successfully secured U.S. leadership within the FAO, nominating and confirming Beth Bechdol’s role as Deputy Director-General of the FAO. Through this effort and others, IO/EDA has repeatedly worked to prevent other countries from leveraging international organizations to undermine U.S. interests on agricultural policy issues. As such, IO/EDA’s work also maintains the United States as the leading voice for establishing food and trade standards globally, and science-based decisions in support of trade in crucial venues such as the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

If the United States is to remain the global leader in agriculture, U.S. farmers, ranchers, producers, and industry need the support of these two offices to uplift these interests globally. When combined with the expertise at USDA and USTR, these offices provide invaluable service to U.S. farmers and the agricultural industry to ensure export success, influence in international bodies, and uphold the high-standards that U.S. agriculture works hard to maintain. We strongly encourage the Administration to reconsider actions that would eliminate these offices, and we encourage the Department to look for ways to preserve the key functions and personnel that are defending U.S. agricultural stakeholders and interests across the globe.

Respectfully,

CC: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry; U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee;  U.S. House Committee on Agriculture