State lawmaker wants USDA to move from ‘swamp’ of nation’s capital to Central Illinois

DECATUR (25News Now) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture should move from the “swamp” of Washington D.C. to the heartland of Central Illinois, so said a first-term state lawmaker whose district includes parts of McLean County.

88th District State Rep. Regan Deering (R-Decatur) has introduced a resolution in Springfield urging President Donald Trump and the U.S. Congress to immediately start the process of relocating USDA to Central Illinois, specifically Bloomington-Normal or Decatur.

“Crops don’t grow in a swamp, they grow in the fertile plains of central Illinois,” said Deering in a release. “It’s time we put the USDA in a place where people plant crops, not push paper.”

Moving USDA would create significant economic opportunities for Central Illinois, said Deering. It would improve coordination with farmers and agribusiness leaders and provide taxpayers with a more cost-efficient and efficient department, according to Deering.

“The federal government is broke and broken and moving the USDA would save money and improve services,” said Deering.

No one so far has agreed to co-sponsor Deering’s resolution, which was filed March 6 and referred to the Rules Committee of the Democratic-controlled Illinois House.

State lawmakers in Springfield have no say where the USDA is located, but copies of the resolution, if approved, would be delivered to the president, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, the Speaker of the U.S. House, the majority leader of the U.S. Senate, and all members of Illinois Congressional delegation.

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