Elfreth, Colleagues Statement on Closure of Beltsville Agricultural Research Center

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), joined Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Representatives April McClain Delaney (D-MD 06), Steny Hoyer (D-MD 05), Jamie Raskin (D-MD 08), Glenn Ivey (D-MD 04), Kweisi Mfume (D-MD 07), and Johnny Olszewski (D-MD 02), to release the following statement on the future of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.”

“The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) is the foundation of our country’s excellence in agricultural research, with its scientists working for more than 100 years on the front lines of protecting public health and supporting farmers and farming across the country. Shuttering BARC and uprooting its workforce will undercut its critical mission, endanger public safety, and unnecessarily waste taxpayer dollars,” the lawmakers began. “Clearly, the Trump Administration has not thought through the costs or consequences of this misguided decision. Congress and the courts must act swiftly to block this illegal and harmful reorganization and ensure BARC remains intact. The law demands it, and our farmers depend on it.”

On July 23, 2025, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced plans to restructure the U.S. Department of Agriculture that included closing the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center building in Prince George’s County. This closure would force over half the agency’s workforce in the region to relocate, potentially across the country, disrupting crucial research on the avian flu and pushing more workers to leave their jobs. Over 15,000 employees have already chosen to leave the Department when faced with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) deferred resignation program.

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