Resident commissioner, congressional colleagues urge GSA to keep USDA offices open

Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera

By The Star Staff

Following recent reports that the General Services Administration (GSA) may proceed with the closure of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development offices across the United States, including Puerto Rico, Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera and 20 members of Congress urged the agency to reverse course and preserve the mission-critical facilities.

“These offices are the federal government’s front door in our rural communities,” Hernández said in a statement. “They support farmers, small businesses, families, and municipalities. Closing them would be a step backward -- at the worst possible time.”

The congressional action directed to Acting GSA Administrator Stephen Ehikian comes in response to a USDA update confirming that 43 of the 49 offices slated for lease termination are considered “mission critical” by the department. However, GSA has yet to rescind the terminations, leaving local offices -- including those in Puerto Rico -- at risk.

The action builds on prior efforts by Hernández, who signed a letter in March with 10 colleagues opposing the closures and demanding USDA clarify the impact on rural communities. That effort prompted the USDA’s May 16 response, which acknowledged the importance of the facilities.

“This is not the first time we’ve had to raise our voice,” Hernández said. “In March, we made sure USDA understood the role these offices play in Puerto Rico. They listened. Now it’s time for GSA to do the same.”

“Our rural communities are not a footnote -- they are central to the economic and social fabric of Puerto Rico,” Hernández said. “We will fight to ensure they are not abandoned.”

The resident commissioner’s effort was joined by U.S. Reps. Raúl Ruiz (D-Calif.), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Eugene Simon Vindman (D-Va.), John W. Mannion (D-N.Y.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Cleo Fields (D-La.), Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (D-Ga.), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Terri A. Sewell (D-Ala.), Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Herbert C. Conaway (D-N.J.), Stacey E. Plaskett (D-V.I.), Nellie Pou (D-N.J.), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.) and Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.).