Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
980-290-7282
Statement attributable to Crystal FitzSimons, president, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, April 30, 2026 — FRAC strongly opposes the latest plan from the Trump administration to reorganize the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) by introducing the Food and Nutrition Administration, which would pull program leadership and staff out of Washington, D.C.
An overwhelming number of people (82%), as revealed in a December 2025 USDA analysis, do not support the idea of relocation due to concerns around program effectiveness and effective regional governance.
Since its inception, USDA’s FNS has administered the federal nutrition programs, which help ensure that people with low incomes can access the food they need for their health and well-being. These programs – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), school meals, and meals served during afterschool, childcare, and summer – require a deeply experienced, well-staffed agency to function.
The relocation from Washington, D.C., will result in a significant brain drain and disrupt program execution. The administration has yet to provide a plan on how this structure will uphold the effectiveness of federal nutrition programs.
We have seen the consequence of this type of proposal before when USDA announced the relocation of most staff at two of its research agencies from the nation’s capital to Kansas City in 2019. This reorganization led to disruptions in work, reduced productivity, a lack of diversity, and a mass departure of staff. Now imagine those same circumstances on a much grander scale.
We urge USDA to halt the implementation of this reorganization and facilitate a more transparent process that includes consultation with Congress, state agencies, national and local partners, and impacted USDA staff.
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The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.