Memorandum on USDA Reorganization Issues

Posted on August 06, 2025 at 11:34 AM

Delta Grassroots Caucus

August 6, 2025

Memorandum to Delta Region Members of Congress and concerned citizens about USDA Reorganization

From:

The Delta Grassroots Caucus (Lee Powell, executive director) and Caroline Thorpe, a USDA official for 35 years who retired recently.

Lee Powell is director of the Delta Caucus, a nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization for the 8-state Greater Delta; former Presidential appointee at USDA in the Clinton administration; earlier a senior aide to a Congressman representing the heavily agricultural First District in Arkansas; originally from Little Rock. Caroline is Lee Powell’s wife and they live in Waldorf, Maryland in the Washington, DC area.

5030 Purslane Place Waldorf, Maryland 20603 Phone: 240-994-4207 Email: carothorpe78@gmail.com and Leepowell@delta.comcastbiz.net

Re: Comments on the Senate Hearing: Agriculture and Nutrition Service Review of USDA Reorganization Proposal – July 30, 2025

We are writing to provide formal comments on the proposed USDA reorganization and to raise serious concerns regarding statements made by USDA Deputy Secretary Judge Stephen Vaden during the July 30, 2025, Senate hearing.

USDA nutrition, rural development and agriculture programs are absolutely vital for the Greater Delta Region from southern Illinois down through Arkansas and Mississippi to New Orleans, with our largely small town and rural areas, unfortunately high food insecurity in many areas, and heavily agricultural productivity.

Importance of having a sufficient number of senior personnel based in the Washington, DC offices: This is constructive and efficient, and the 4,600 employees currently based there are still much less than 10 percent of the workforce of USDA. It is highly beneficial to have senior personnel, the administrators of key agencies, Under Secretaries, and other key offices located in the Washington, DC headquarters, where they can gather in one conference room and resolve inter-agency and department-wide issues, as well as consult with Members of Congress and other major institutions. As a senior official at USDA in the 1990s to 2001, Lee Powell found it efficient to have all the top personnel at the Washington, DC headquarters where they can easily convene and consult in person.

Executive Summary below, followed by a detailed memorandum further on.

Executive summary:

Comments and Recommendation Based on the Senate Hearing: Agriculture and Nutrition Service Review of USDA Reorganization Proposal – July 30, 2025

First of all, we would emphasize that the reorganization was presented as a fait accompli with very little prior consultation with stakeholders. The Greater Delta Region is a vast, largely rural and agricultural region across eight states, yet none of the five regional hubs is close to this huge area for which USDA is so vital. Kansas City Missouri is at the opposite end of the large state of Missouri from the southeast Missouri Delta and very distant from the rest of the region. The other four hubs are not even remotely close to the Delta—Indianapolis, Indiana; Raleigh, North Carolina; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Memphis would be a logical and great choice for one of the regional hubs: We know all regions can’t be included, but Memphis is a large city with an existing, extensive USDA facility (the Memphis Cotton Classing Office) in the heart of the 8-state Greater Delta. Adding a regional hub in Memphis would be a great choice, although it appears that they have already made their decision. Again, this points out that they erred seriously in not engaging in real consultation with the stakeholders.

We are writing to provide several recommendations and formal comments on the proposed USDA reorganization. The hearing raises serious concerns regarding statements made by USDA Deputy Secretary Judge Stephen Vaden at the Senate hearing. We offer the following points for consideration:

1) Cost and Disruption of Relocation: Ninety percent of USDA’s approximately 98, 000 employees currently work in rural areas working on agriculture, nutrition and rural development issues directly with the people they serve. The great majority of USDA employees already work on the ground across the country. Therefore, relocating another 2,600 employees from the National Capital Region (NCR) to the Midwest and the West (Utah) makes no sense. Thus, the USDA reorganization is a solution in search of a problem that does not exist.

2) George Washington Carver Center(GWCC): Judge Vaden implied that most of the USDA buildings in the National Capital Region are decrepit. GWCC is a state-of-the-art facility in Beltsville, Maryland. It was renovated in 2022 and should continue to be a USDA worksite, which would reduce relocation costs.

3)Most of USDA South Building has been recently renovated: Contrary to claims, over 70% of the South Building has been recently renovated. Discarding this historic property without cost-benefit analysis would waste taxpayer dollars. The 30 percent of the renovation not yet done should be completed.

4) Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC): This center is critical for agricultural research and national security. Relocation risks extensive loss of expertise and disruption of vital long-term research and leaves the U.S. vulnerable to security issues like bioterrorism.

5) Housing Costs and Relocation in Salt Lake City, Utah: The proposed relocation hub of Salt Lake City has housing costs higher than much of the DC region. Moving employees there does not solve cost problems and only disrupts work.

Primary Recommendations:

1) Retain USDA employees in the George Washington Carver Center, a state-of-the-art building renovated in 2022. This would minimize cost and disruption to USDA’s mission-critical work and preserve institutional expertise, while maintaining operational resilience.

OR

2) Make the South Building a Multi-use Agency building for USDA, Homeland Security and any other Defense/security Department or Agency. House all National Capital Region (NCR) staff here, and USDA would have no other external building other than the BARC. This simplifies matters.

DETAILED MEMORANDUM

Re: Comments on the Senate Hearing: Agriculture and Nutrition Service Review of USDA Reorganization Proposal – July 30, 2025

We are writing to provide formal comments on the proposed USDA reorganization and to raise serious concerns regarding statements made by USDA Deputy Secretary Judge Stephen Vaden during the July 30, 2025, Senate hearing.

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Supporters of Sen. Fulbright Oppose Effort to Re-Name Kennedy Center for President Trump

Posted on July 31, 2025 at 04:23 PM

“Long-Time Supporters of Sen. Fulbright including Biographer Lee Powell Oppose Effort to Re-name the Kennedy Center after President Trump”

A long-time associate and biographer of Sen. J. William Fulbright and many other supporters of Fulbright’s legacy oppose Rep. Bob Onder’s (R-MO) bill to re-name the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump.

Fulbright is the main founder of the Kennedy Center, advocating for its creation and passing appropriations to build the Kennedy Center.

“Fulbright’s cerebral, thoughtful approach to public policy issues and his founding role in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts are diametrically opposed to President Trump’s anti-intellectual, chaotic strategy of sowing confusion and chaos,” said Lee Powell, who knew Fulbright for 20 years and wrote two books about him—one with a foreword by Fulbright and another with afterword by the senator.

The Delta Caucus and other civic-minded Delta organizations call on the region’s Congressional delegations, especially the Arkansas Congressional delegation, to block this improper effort to tamper with the legacy of both the Kennedy Center and Senator Fulbright.

Fulbright sought to make the Kennedy a renowned opera, ballet and cultural center of which all Americans could be proud. The senator would have been mortified by Trump’s effort to politicize such an iconic educational institution.

The Kennedy Center is not just a building; it is a symbol of American commitment to the arts, education, and international understanding. To erase that symbolism in favor of political theater would be a grave insult to the very ideals that Fulbright, Kennedy, and countless public servants have upheld.

Fulbright introduced legislation on Nov. 26, 1963 to name the institution after President Kennedy and appropriate the last $5 million for its construction. Mrs. John F. Kennedy expressed her appreciation to him for his efforts, and the senator replied: “Dear Jackie: Nothing I could do could ever begin to express my appreciation and gratitude that this country was privileged to have had such a President, even for so short a time.”

Kennedy’s niece Maria Shriver said Onder’s bill made her “blood boil.” Our sentiments exactly.

Rep. Onder made the ludicrous and sycophantic comment that “I cannot think of a more ubiquitous symbol of American exceptionalism in the arts, entertainment and popular culture than President Trump.”

Onder gives us quite a news flash that Trump is an expert in the arts, when he has revealed he knows little or nothing about the work of the Kennedy Center. In earlier comments Trump called for the Kennedy Center to bring in Broadway productions, when Broadway shows have been a regular feature at the center for a long time.

Trump fired the former Kennedy board members who were appointed for their involvement in the arts and replaced them with political supporters. He also called for recognizing Luciano Pavarotti with the Kennedy Honors, when Pavarotti was given that award 24 years ago.

Jeffrey Seller, producer of the Pulitzer-Prize winning “Hamilton,” gave the last word on this issue in cancelling upcoming performances at the center because his show was not consistent with “a new spirit of partisanship in the national treasure that is the Kennedy Center.”

Wilson Golden, a veteran Delta regional advocate from Mississippi, said “We should be respectful of President Kennedy and honor his memory through the Center—and this is not partisan in any form, shape or manner.”

(Note: Lee Powell is author of J. William Fulbright and His Time, foreword by President Bill Clinton and afterword by Sen. J. William Fulbright (1995); and J. William Fulbright and America’s Lost Crusade, foreword by J. William Fulbright (1084). Powell was a Presidential appointee in the Clinton administration and is executive director of the Delta Caucus. Most of the Delta Caucus partners agree with this statement, although we have some Trump supporters in our group and want to respect their wishes. This is based on Lee Powell’s knowledge of and connection with the Fulbright legacy.)

Supporters of Sen. Fulbright Oppose Effort to Re-Name Kennedy Center for President Trump

Posted on July 31, 2025 at 04:23 PM

“Long-Time Supporters of Sen. Fulbright including Biographer Lee Powell Oppose Effort to Re-name the Kennedy Center after President Trump”

A long-time associate and biographer of Sen. J. William Fulbright and many other supporters of Fulbright’s legacy oppose Rep. Bob Onder’s (R-MO) bill to re-name the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump.

Fulbright is the main founder of the Kennedy Center, advocating for its creation and passing appropriations to build the Kennedy Center.

“Fulbright’s cerebral, thoughtful approach to public policy issues and his founding role in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts are diametrically opposed to President Trump’s anti-intellectual, chaotic strategy of sowing confusion and chaos,” said Lee Powell, who knew Fulbright for 20 years and wrote two books about him—one with a foreword by Fulbright and another with afterword by the senator.

The Delta Caucus and other civic-minded Delta organizations call on the region’s Congressional delegations, especially the Arkansas Congressional delegation, to block this improper effort to tamper with the legacy of both the Kennedy Center and Senator Fulbright.

Fulbright sought to make the Kennedy a renowned opera, ballet and cultural center of which all Americans could be proud. The senator would have been mortified by Trump’s effort to politicize such an iconic educational institution.

The Kennedy Center is not just a building; it is a symbol of American commitment to the arts, education, and international understanding. To erase that symbolism in favor of political theater would be a grave insult to the very ideals that Fulbright, Kennedy, and countless public servants have upheld.

Fulbright introduced legislation on Nov. 26, 1963 to name the institution after President Kennedy and appropriate the last $5 million for its construction. Mrs. John F. Kennedy expressed her appreciation to him for his efforts, and the senator replied: “Dear Jackie: Nothing I could do could ever begin to express my appreciation and gratitude that this country was privileged to have had such a President, even for so short a time.”

Kennedy’s niece Maria Shriver said Onder’s bill made her “blood boil.” Our sentiments exactly.

Rep. Onder made the ludicrous and sycophantic comment that “I cannot think of a more ubiquitous symbol of American exceptionalism in the arts, entertainment and popular culture than President Trump.”

Onder gives us quite a news flash that Trump is an expert in the arts, when he has revealed he knows little or nothing about the work of the Kennedy Center. In earlier comments Trump called for the Kennedy Center to bring in Broadway productions, when Broadway shows have been a regular feature at the center for a long time.

Trump fired the former Kennedy board members who were appointed for their involvement in the arts and replaced them with political supporters. He also called for recognizing Luciana Pavarotti with the Kennedy Honors, when Pavarotti was given that award 24 years ago.

Jeffrey Seller, producer of the Pulitzer-Prize winning “Hamilton,” gave the last word on this issue in cancelling upcoming performances at the center because his show was not consistent with “a new spirit of partisanship in the national treasure that is the Kennedy Center.”

Wilson Golden, a veteran Delta regional advocate from Mississippi, said “We should be respectful of President Kennedy and honor his memory through the Center—and this is not partisan in any form, shape or manner.”

(Note: Lee Powell is author of J. William Fulbright and His Time, foreword by President Bill Clinton and afterword by Sen. J. William Fulbright (1995); and J. William Fulbright and America’s Lost Crusade, foreword by J. William Fulbright (1084). Powell was a Presidential appointee in the Clinton administration and is executive director of the Delta Caucus. Most of the Delta Caucus partners agree with this statement, although we have some Trump supporters in our group and want to respect their wishes. This is based on Lee Powell’s knowledge of and connection with the Fulbright legacy.)

Brief summary and speakers for June 26-27, 2025 Delta Caucus Zoom meeting

Posted on July 07, 2025 at 09:48 AM

Agenda for June 26-27, 2025 Delta Caucus Zoom meeting

June 26 session is 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Note: There are majority and minority views in our organization.

The majority of our partners do not agree with the Trump administration’s cuts to major job creation, education, health care, nutrition, rural development, and diversity initiatives.

A minority of our partners are supportive of the administration’s agenda.

We gave time for pro and con views of the administration’s economic policies during the June 26-27 Zoom meeting.

We noted at the meeting that former Secretary of the Treasury Larry Summers–who usually disagrees with Trump–said that the President is open to “backing off of bad ideas.” We would encourage the President and his supporters to back off from the bad ideas of making major cuts to revered job creation, education, health care, nutrition and related initiatives.

5 p.m.—Lee Powell, Director, Delta Grassroots Caucus

5:10 p.m.– Fulbright Scholar Harrison

5:20 p.m.—Janis Kearney, author of Cotton Field of Dreams and many other books; White House aide to President Bill Clinton

5:30 p.m.–Mike Marshall, former Alternate Federal Co-Chair, Delta Regional Authority, former Mayor of Sikeston, Missouri, long-time senior partner of the Delta Caucus

5:40—Jeff Kolath, Director, Sultana Disaster Museum, Marion, Arkansas, on the Sultana explosion, the worst maritime disaster in American history

June 27, 2025—9:30 a.m. To 11:30 a.m.

9:30 a.m., June 27, 2025—Mireya Reith, Director, Arkansas United (nonprofit working on Hispanic issues)

Sikeston Missouri speaker Joey Hayes

Hunger and poverty

10 a.m., June 27—Sylvia Blain, CEO, Hunger Relief Alliance

10:10 a.m., June 27, Dorothy Grady Scarbrough, Mississippians Engaged in Agriculture (MEGA)

10:20 a.m.—Mayor Ora Stevens, Marianna, Arkansas, on the criminalization of poverty

AEDC speaker

10:30 a.m.—Matt Twyford, Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) Director of Community Development

Differing views on the impact of the Trump administration’s economic policies

10:45 a.m.—Joel Berg, CEO, Hunger Free America, speaking on the damaging impact of Trump administration policies reducing nutrition programs and other safety net policies

11 a.m.—Rhonda Belford, Chair of the Hardin County Republican Party, Delegate for President Donald Trump to the 2020 and 2024 Republican National Conventions, Republican National Committee member, Registered Nurse.

11:15 a.m.—Brad Cole, Director, Illinois Municipal League

11:30 a.m.–adjourn

Thanks again—Lee Powell

Tribute to a True-Blue Trooper for the Delta: Harvey Joe Sanner

Posted on February 03, 2025 at 01:46 PM

Tribute to a True-Blue Trooper for the Greater Delta Region: Harvey Joe Sanner

(NOTE: This message was published as an article in the editorial section of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Feb. 7, 2025.)

The Greater Delta Region lost a veteran true-blue trooper with the passing of Harvey Joe Sanner of Des Arc, Arkansas.

Harvey Joe Sanner tirelessly advocated for family farmers, the Greater Delta Region as a whole, infrastructure improvements, economic growth, and the fight against hunger and poverty.

A half-century of grassroots advocacy: Harvey Joe was president of the American Agriculture Movement, a stalwart partner of the 8-state Mississippi Delta Grassroots Caucus, an activist for the Democratic Party at state, local and national levels, and a friend and loyal supporter of prominent Arkansas leaders including Gov. and then President Bill Clinton, US Sen. Dale Bumpers, US Sen. David Pryor, Congressman Bill Alexander, and many others.

Tractorcade: In 1979, Harvey Joe Sanner was one of less than 3,000 farmers from all over the country who drove their tractors to Washington, DC to call attention to the national government the dire economic plight of many family farmers in America.

One of Harvey Joe’s sons,Matt Sanner of Searcy, Arkansas, said to the Delta Caucus that “He was the very greatest dad and man, and I still aspire to be like him.” Many other leaders from across the region expressed similar sentiments and several of them are quoted below in this message.

Opening up markets for farmers: He was a strong and knowledgeable advocate for developing trade–especially in food and medicine–between the United States and Cuba. He believed–accurately, in our view–that the embargo did not change Cuban policy domestically or internationally, prevented the Cuban people from gaining access to nutritious American farm products, and deprived American producers of substantial markets in Cuba.

Sanner traveled to Cuba to meet in person with then Cuban leader Fidel Castro to discuss the economic benefits to both countries of opening up trade. The Arkansas was a member of a family that included generations of farmers. He often pointed out that Arkansas’ prolific rice farmers would be among the greatest beneficiaries of trade to Cuba.

He emphasized that opening up trade in food and medicine would benefit both countries, and would of course not provide the Cubans with any materials that might have any military potential.

Sanner had great political courage and would stand his ground on the issues regardless of whether it was controversial or not. One poignant example was his constant, outspoken support for Congressman Alexander when he was sharply criticized in right-wing quarters for calling for farm and medicine trade to Cuba.

Delta Caucus Director Lee Powell said “Harvey Joe Sanner was a stalwart, knowledgeable and effective advocate for the Greater Delta’ community and economic progress. He was a strong presence at every Delta Caucus meeting and most other public policy meetings in Arkansas and other Delta states for over 50 years. He will greatly be missed.”

Powell recalled that his father, James O. Powell, who was editorial editor and later senior columnist of the old Arkansas Gazette from 1959 to 1987, referred to the “ubiquitous” Harvey Joe Sanner, because he was always there at every public policy meeting for half a century.

Powell added that “Harvey Joe was a very intelligent man who was probably one of the few people in Arkansas who knew what the word ‘ubiquitous’ meant” (just kidding).

Powell recalled that in the mid-2000s at a packed Delta Caucus in the Clinton School of Public Service, President Clinton rose to speak, saw HJS in the crowd and immediately called out to him, “Hey, Harvey Joe”–he was one in a crowd of 100 people singled out for that heart-felt greeting.

Powell, a former aide to Rep. Alexander, recalled that when the Congressman was Chief Deputy Majority Whip and senior member of the Appropriations Committee, “Harvey Joe was a constant supporting presence for Alexander, who deeply appreciated his loyalty and advocacy for their mutual causes.”

Harry Truman Moore, attorney in northeast Arkansas, trusted friend and adviser to President Bill Clinton, Congressman Bill Alexander and other Arkansas leaders, said “Harvey Joe Sanner was one of the true believers and stalwart advocates for the Delta’s progress for many years.”

Kevin Smith, former aide to Gov. Bill Clinton on the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Commission, Arkansas senator, businessman and regional leader based in Helena, Arkansas, said “I knew Harvey Joe Sanner since the 1980s, as he fought at every opportunity to give a voice in particular to the every-day row crop farmers in Arkansas, and in general to stand up for the Delta region.”

Smith said “Harvey Joe is a hero of the Delta region. He worked closely with the late US senators Dale Bumpers and David Pryor and they were crazy about him as an advocate for agriculture and the Delta economy.”

Smith said “His impact and legacy might not ever be appreciated by many people who don’t know what he did for our state and region, but he didn’t do it for the recognition. He just loved the land and the people.”

Wilson Golden, Presidential appointee in the Clinton administration, Delta Caucus senior adviser, attorney, Mississippi native now residing in Georgia, said, “Harvey Joe Sanner was there every time the Delta Caucus met or the Clinton administration held a meeting in the region. He was always going to bat for the Delta in his common-sense, down-home style.”

Harvey Joe Sanner was 81. He was predeceased by: his parents, Joe Roscoe and Gladys Mae Chandler Sanner of Des Arc; and his brother Buddy Otis Sanner.

He is survived by: his wife Marilyn Burnett of Des Arc; his sons, Kelly Sanner of Des Arc and Matt Sanner of Searcy; his stepsons, Rodney Burnett (Sondra) of Cabot and Gary Burnett; and his brothers, Jim Sanner and Steve Sanner of Des Arc. He is also survived by five grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and five step grandchildren.