As the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expected to relocate to Kansas City, Missouri, at the end of this month, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue says the move will save millions of dollars. However, many see it as a purposeful attack on USDA researchers.
Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to speak about how the relocation will affect the USDA and climate research.
"This is one of the great tragedies of the Trump administration," he said. "These researchers have been compiling the statistics of crop yield, weather patterns, and productivity for animals, but they're 'too science-y.' They have bad news about climate, and the Trump administration has waged a war on science."
Perdue has set an ultimatum to its researchers: Relocate or give up your job, Kummer said. "This was one of the agencies that had the respect of the world, and is now being shredded and decimated."
Two-thirds of its current employees will be unable to relocate, according to the USDA. Perdue did this intentionally to get rid of researchers, Kummer said. "The move is meant to knock researchers out and get rid of those who were giving them bad news about the climate," he added.
Source: wgbh.org