In the last few weeks, sweeping layoffs, budget cuts, website overhauls, and indefinite funding freezes have impacted just about every major government department and agency. More than 200,000 federal employees have been fired, a long list of terms that offend climate deniers has been scrubbed from government websites, and programs and initiatives designed to save lives at home and abroad have been cut.

It’s no surprise that the Department of Agriculture has also taken a hit.

The USDA consists of 29 agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Food and Nutrition Service. In recent years, thanks to an influx of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Farm Bill, the department has supported local food programs, helped farmers implement and advance land and resource conservation efforts, and provided funding to help farmers adopt more climate-friendly agricultural practices.

To say the impacts of frozen USDA grants and department layoffs have been devastating would be an understatement. Here’s the situation:

• Farmers and rural communities are paying the price for the funding freeze—literally. More than $22 billion was awarded for conservation and climate-smart agriculture projects during Biden’s presidency, and many farms and businesses have already made investments in clean energy and efficiency improvements based on awarded funds. Without the grant money they were promised, many have been forced to abandon their projects or cover the costs themselves. The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program, and Environmental Quality Incentives Program are just a few of the programs that have been impacted.
  
• USDA landing pages focused on climate change have been purged from government websites, and farmers, researchers, and advocates are being denied access to vital climate-related datasets. Our friends at Earthjustice have already moved to sue the USDA for this.
  
• Ten percent of Forest Service workers –3,400 employees—have been fired. The Forest Service is responsible for everything from trail maintenance and ecosystem restoration to wildfire prevention, emergency response, and recovery. With climate change fueling increasingly destructive wildfires and other natural disasters, the Service’s work matters now more than ever.
  
• 1,200 NRCS workers have been fired. NRCS has always been small but mighty, working directly with farmers to help them conserve their natural resources and improve soil health and water quality. In addition to these layoffs, $2 billion in NRCS grant money is currently frozen. So far, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has only announced the release of $20 million of it (0.35%)—a drop in the bucket relative to what is owed.

You know it, and we know it—these moves are dangerous and irresponsible. Climate change and agriculture are inextricably linked, and purging phrases and vital data from webpages doesn’t erase the crisis or its impacts. Rather than gutting the agencies doing their utmost to fight it, we should give them the resources they need to do their work.

But there is hope—and it comes in the form of action.

Earlier this week, Earthjustice filed another lawsuit against the USDA on behalf of farmers. Senate Democrats are coming together to protest the department’s cancellation of two major local food programs. One New Jersey Senator is preparing to introduce an amendment that would require the department to honor its contracts with farmers. The Merit Systems Protection Board recently ruled in favor of the recently fired USDA employees.

Now, it’s time to support these efforts by doing what we do best: raising our voices and advocating for change!