During a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing prior to the Congressional recess, Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) questioned Dudley Hoskins, nominee to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, about staffing cuts at USDA.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:01Senator Lujan.
00:02Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:04Appreciate you all being here today as well.
00:07Mr. Hoskins, I'd like to start with a question directed to you.
00:11As you may know, New Mexico has two ports of entry that serve as major entry points for livestock imports,
00:17the Columbus port of entry and the Santa Teresa port of entry.
00:21Both ports of entry were closed to livestock imports in November of 24 and again earlier this month
00:27to prevent the spread of the New World screw worm.
00:30While the Santa Teresa port of entry reopened for livestock imports in February of 25
00:35before being closed again earlier this month,
00:38the Columbus port of entry remained closed to livestock during this time.
00:42My understanding based on communication with USDA is that due to the Trump administration's reduction in force efforts,
00:49there were not enough animal health technicians in Columbus, New Mexico for that port of entry to reopen in February.
00:57My question, Mr. Hoskins, is yes or no.
01:00If confirmed, will you commit to ensuring that there are adequate inspectors stationed at the Columbus port of entry,
01:07specifically in animal health, to reopen that port to livestock crossings when it is safe to do so?
01:12Thank you for the question, Senator, and the opportunity to visit with your staff before today's hearing.
01:21I know you're looking for a yes or no answer.
01:23I guess I would say it, and not to be evasive, not being at the department and not being briefed on staffing decisions and assessments and needs.
01:31What I could commit to is just that, if confirmed, I would ensure APHIS met its congressional mandate to protect U.S. agriculture from animal plants and diseases,
01:43and I would support and implement Secretary Rollins' direction where she has stated publicly APHIS will have the adequate staffing and resources needed to meet its mandate.
01:53Do you believe that animal health technicians are important in the mission of USDA?
02:01Yes, Senator, I do.
02:02I appreciate that.
02:03I hope that that's expressed to the Secretary and to the administration.
02:07I very much appreciate the attention from the Secretary in this space, but there aren't enough inspectors.
02:13The more people that are going to get fired, the less that are going to be available.
02:18That's going to hurt efforts all around the South, and it shouldn't just be Texas that gets attention.
02:26If you go down and you look at where those animals are crossing, you know, more people cross into Texas through those ports of entry.
02:33More commerce is moving through some of those smaller ports, namely agriculture in New Mexico.
02:37So if we're going to look at this from a United States perspective, I certainly hope it gets that kind of attention.
02:43I'm also very concerned that the loss of staff at USDA resulting from the Trump administration efforts have undermined the agency's ability to serve people back home.
02:52And I also get calls from people in other parts of the country that I've met along the way that are very concerned with some of these initial reports.
02:59Many USDA staff who have dedicated their careers to serving farm country in rural America at USDA have very specific knowledge base and specialties that make a difference in people's lives.
03:11Several media outlets reported that just days after the administration's deferred resignation offer went into effect,
03:16the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service sent an email to remaining employees offering, quote,
03:23lateral transfer opportunities to fill 73 open positions that are especially critical to fill as soon as possible.
03:31Now, Mr. Hoskins, you spent a significant portion of your career working at USDA,
03:35first as the chief of staff in marketing and regulatory programs mission, and later a senior advisor to Secretary Perdue.
03:42Do you agree that career staff play a critical role in maintaining operations at the agency?
03:47Thank you for the question, Senator.
03:51Yes, in my experience, working with APHIS and AMS, the career staff and the subject matter experts are absolutely indispensable.
03:59I appreciate you saying that, and that is the case.
04:03I don't know where a lot of folks back home would be without that kind of support,
04:06and I certainly hope that as this review is going on that adequate levels of support will exist for farmers and ranchers across the country,
04:14and you're one of the best that knows this, and you've done it, you've seen it.
04:19And so I certainly hope that your voice will be listened to when you're in this important position.
04:23Now, in recent years, New Mexico's experienced an unprecedented number of extreme weather events,
04:28including wildfires, droughts, severe storms, and flooding.
04:32In western states like New Mexico, it's just getting more and more common.
04:35It's critical for our food supply and for the livelihood of our farmers and producers
04:39that the federal government invest in adapting production techniques to respond to extreme weather.
04:45Dr. Hutchins, if confirmed, how would you ensure that USDA responds to changing weather patterns
04:50that are resulting in more extreme weather?
04:53Thank you, Senator, for the question.
04:54The USDA, particularly for crops that you're familiar with in your state,
05:01has got tremendous breeding capabilities to be able to build in some of these areas of tolerance,
05:09whether it's heat or drought or what have you.
05:11When I was working with USDA previously, I'd sat down with the breeding leaders
05:14and asked them to incorporate within their goals the things that are most important
05:18for the particular crops and regions.
05:19And so I would look to continue that focus to ensure that our crops and our animals are able to be resilient
05:26with the various year-to-year weather patterns.
05:29Appreciate it.
05:29Just to be clear, this is an area that you will prioritize,
05:33and you'll continue to do the good work that you've done in the past.
05:36Yes, sir.
05:36Appreciate that.
05:37Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
05:39Senator Hogan.
05:42I'd like to thank both of you for being here.
05:45Appreciate it very much.
05:46Starting with you, Mr. Hoskins.
05:48If confirmed, will you fully enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act?