WASHINGTON, DC – On August 1, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, opened a 30-day public comment period on the plan to reorganize the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), first announced on July 24. Today, the National WIC Association (NWA) submitted formal comments opposing the proposal, warning that it would significantly disrupt federal nutrition programs and undermine USDA’s ability to serve millions of families. This would include WIC, USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
In its comment, NWA urged Secretary Rollins to immediately pause implementation to allow for meaningful stakeholder engagement, prevent further loss of experienced staff, and avoid harmful impacts on the nearly 6.9 million women, infants, and young children served by WIC each month.
The following is a statement from Georgia Machell, president and CEO of the National WIC Association:
“We are deeply concerned that this reorganization would dismantle the very infrastructure that keeps WIC running, from ensuring states receive funding on time to providing guidance and technical assistance. WIC is one of America’s most effective public health programs, proven to save lives, improve maternal and child health, and strengthen families. The USDA cannot afford to lose the skilled staff and trusted relationships that make WIC successful, especially after losing significant numbers of staff through the two deferred resignation programs.
“These disruptions would hit hardest for the families at nutritional risk who rely on WIC every day. At a time when WIC participation is growing and Congress has continued to show bipartisan support, USDA should be investing in its capacity to serve families—not undermining it. We call on Secretary Rollins to pause this plan and work with stakeholders to protect WIC’s ability to serve every eligible family.”
NWA encourages all WIC and federal nutrition program stakeholders to share their concerns during USDA’s public comment period, which closes on August 26, 2025. Make your voice heard by emailing [email protected]. To help get you started, we’ve provided suggested language here: http://bit.ly/3Uziucw.
Appendix: NWA’s Full Submitted Comment to USDA
Secretary Brooke Rollins
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
Re: Request for Comment on Department of Agriculture Reorganization Plan
Secretary Memorandum SM 1078-015
Dear Secretary Rollins,
The National WIC Association (NWA) strongly opposes the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Plan as outlined in Secretary Memorandum SM 1078-015. We are concerned that this plan will lead to significant disruptions in the implementation of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). We urge you to immediately pause this plan in order to fully consider and take on board key stakeholder input to avoid negative impacts for the families who rely on WIC.
NWA is the nonprofit voice of the 12,000 public health nutrition service provider agencies who serve nearly 6.9 million mothers, babies, and young children served by WIC. NWA provides education, guidance, and support to WIC staff; and drives innovation and advocacy to strengthen WIC as we work toward a nation of healthier families.
As you know, WIC is administered at the federal level by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). At the beginning of the Trump administration, FNS employed approximately 1800 employees based at eight offices representing seven regions of the country and one headquarters in northern Virginia. As a result of the administration’s actions to reduce staff, including the Deferred Resignation Programs, FNS has lost approximately 500 employees, over one quarter of the agency’s staff nationwide.
Under this plan, all eight FNS offices would close, with employees moving to new office locations, including a new national headquarters and five new regional offices. The five regional offices will be relocated to align with newly established USDA Hubs and Service Centers within two years. The new 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 relocation of two USDA agencies during the first Trump administration led to about 50% of staff leaving the agencies. As you have acknowledged, we can anticipate a similar level of attrition and loss of institutional knowledge as a result of these relocations. This major staff loss, coming on the heels of a loss of about one third of FNS staff, risks leaving FNS without the ability to conduct its most basic program functions, like allocating federal funds.
As a result of staff losses at FNS since the beginning of the second Trump administration, WIC state agencies are already experiencing challenges receiving timely and adequate federal funds, along with guidance and technical assistance to implement key policies. This summer, despite full federal funding being appropriated for WIC, multiple state WIC agencies experienced severe funding shortages leading them to notify staff of layoffs or plan for shutoff of WIC benefits to participants. While we understand that FNS is working to address these urgent gaps, this situation should never have occurred in the context of full federal funding.
Because WIC is a discretionary federal program that is funded to serve all eligible families, and participation can be challenging to project, FNS staff in the regional and national offices must work closely with state agencies to monitor program costs and ensure appropriate allocation of funds across states. This work requires a high degree of skill, experience, and strong relationships with state staff. As state WIC agencies are experiencing this summer, staff loss in these key roles can have devastating consequences.
Additional key responsibilities for FNS regional office staff include: setting appropriate policy to guide program operations and protect the investment in the program; providing technical assistance to state agencies; sharing innovative best practices from around the country; making site visits to state and local agencies for program monitoring and integrity; providing review and approval for technology-related projects for WIC’s Management Information Systems (MIS) and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) systems; and informing FNS national office activities and decisions to best meet the needs of eligible WIC families and agencies serving those families. The planned reorganization puts all of these activities at risk.
In summary, NWA is deeply concerned that USDA’s reorganization plan to relocate FNS staff and reduce regional offices will result in significant harm to the WIC program, and the low-income mothers and children we serve. WIC has long enjoyed bipartisan support as one of America’s most effective public health programs—proven to prevent infant deaths, improve maternal health, ensure healthier births, and give children a stronger start in life. The Trump Administration has recognized WIC’s benefits in its Make America’s Children Healthy Again report. 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 dismantle the very infrastructure that keeps programs like WIC running. We call on you to pause this plan immediately.
Sincerely,