Butterfield Cosponsors Farm Service Accountability Act to Halt Future Closures of FSA Offices

Press Release

The Office of Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today announced the Congressman's co-sponsorship of H.R. 4313, the Farm Service Accountability Act, which would halt the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from future closures of Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices without first assessing the workload volume of each office and the needs of the residents they serve.

"The FSA offices in Chowan, Warren, and Hertford counties provide critical access to USDA services for hundreds of farmers," said Congressman Butterfield. "Farmers in these large, rural counties whose primary economic driver is agriculture often visit these offices upwards of ten times per year. The Farm Service Accountability Act would offer some assurance that the needs of farmers will be considered before hastily stripping access to FSA locations in the future."

Butterfield cosponsored H.R. 4313 in direct response to the scheduled closures of three FSA offices in Chowan, Warren, and Hertford counties. In February, the Congressman wrote to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack expressing his opposition to the proposed consolidation of several FSA offices in North Carolina.

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