Crops Don’t Grow in a Swamp
DECATUR, IL… State Representative Regan Deering (R-Decatur) has filed HR 177, a resolution that calls on President Trump and the United States Congress to immediately begin the process of relocating the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to central Illinois from Washington, D.C.
“Crops don’t grow in a swamp, they grow in the fertile plains of central Illinois,” said Rep. Deering. “It’s time we put the USDA in a place where people plant crops, not push paper.”
Deering’s resolution seeks to move the USDA out of Washington D.C. to central Illinois where America’s farmers and ranchers grow the crops, raise the livestock, and power the American economy. Illinois is home to major agricultural research institutions, agribusinesses, key agriculture transportation, food processing companies, and hard-working families.
Relocating the department would create significant economic opportunities for the region, improve coordination with farmers and agribusiness leaders, and provide taxpayers with a more cost-effective and efficient department. Central Illinois is the logical home for the agency tasked with supporting America’s farmers.
“The federal government is broke and broken and moving the USDA would save money and improve services,” said Rep. Deering. “Central Illinois is the heartland of agriculture, with Piatt and Macon counties leading the country in soybean production and McLean and Livingston counties leading in corn production.
Rep. Deering’s resolution follows the introduction of the Strategic Withdrawal of Agencies for Meaningful Placement (SWAMP) Act, a bi-partisan congressional measure that seeks to decentralize federal agencies and place them in regions they serve most, which for the USDA would be an agricultural-heavy state like Illinois in the corn belt, not the beltway.
“The USDA’s job is to serve farmers and ensure we continue to be the greatest agriculture-producing country in the world, providing fresh, clean food to hundreds of millions of families. In Illinois, we don’t just talk about agriculture, we live it,” Deering concluded.
To track the resolution’s progress, visit ilga.gov. With any questions regarding the resolution, please contact Rep. Deering at (217) 876-1968 or at RepDeering.com.
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