WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Secretary Rollins announced plans to restructure the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reorganize the federal government. This announcement includes significant planned changes for the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which administers WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, and other federal nutrition programs.
Specifically, the memo outlines the plan to close the FNS headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, and relocate staff outside the D.C. metro area. It also proposes reducing the number of regions from seven to five. The five regional offices will be relocated to align with newly established USDA Hubs and Service Centers within two years.
The regional Hubs and Service Centers include: Raleigh, North Carolina; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; Kansas City, Missouri; Salt Lake City, Utah; St. Louis, Missouri; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Missoula, Montana.
The following is a statement from Georgia Machell, president and CEO of the National WIC Association, on the Trump Administration’s Reorganization Plan for USDA FNS:
“We are deeply troubled by the Trump Administration’s reorganization plan for USDA. The dedicated public servants at FNS—both in regional and national offices—play a vital role in administering WIC, which provides essential nutrition and breastfeeding assistance to millions of mothers and young children. Relocating key staff and dismantling regional offices will sever decades of institutional knowledge, weaken quality control, delay critical services, and create unnecessary barriers for state agencies and families who rely on WIC. This reorganization is not about efficiency. It’s deliberate sabotage.
“Even before the announcement of this plan, the administration’s dismissal of probationary employees and deferred resignation programs had already undermined the agency’s capacity to deliver timely support to state WIC agencies, including the distribution of congressionally appropriated funds. These are not cost-saving measures or efforts aimed at streamlining. They are politically motivated acts of bureaucratic disruption, designed to erode USDA's ability to function.
“WIC has long enjoyed bipartisan support as one of America’s most effective public health programs—proven to prevent infant deaths, ensure healthier births, and give children a stronger start in life. We must ensure that WIC remains fully operational for the millions of families who depend on it, and that means maintaining the integrity of the USDA. Protecting WIC means defending the USDA's capacity to serve families; we cannot allow this administration to dismantle the very infrastructure that keeps programs like WIC running.
“Congress maintains oversight authority and can intervene to prevent harmful disruptions to federal nutrition programs. We urge lawmakers to oppose these changes. WIC is a lifeline for millions of families, improving health outcomes and reducing food insecurity. Now is not the time to undermine its effectiveness. We call on the administration and Congress to prioritize the needs of vulnerable women and children over political agendas.”