Betrayal at the USDA

The Union of Concerned Scientists report 'Betrayal at the USDA' examines the first year of Secretary Sonny Perdue's leadership at the USDA. It argues that the administration has systematically sidelined science and expertise to favor large agribusiness corporations. Key concerns include the appointment of unqualified personnel, the rollback of school nutrition and food safety standards, the disregard for World Health Organization guidelines on antibiotics in livestock, and the promotion of climate change denial. The report also criticizes proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the elimination of protections for small farmers through the dismantling of the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).

• Secretary Sonny Perdue's leadership at the USDA is characterized by a preference for agribusiness interests over scientific evidence and the public good, mirroring his tenure as Governor of Georgia where he was named one of the worst governors in America in 2010.
• The USDA has appointed individuals to senior roles who lack the necessary scientific or professional expertise, including the support of Sam Clovis for the chief scientist role despite his lack of scientific training.
• The administration has moved to weaken school nutrition standards established by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, including proposals to allow sugar-sweetened flavored milk and extend waivers for whole grain standards.
• The Trump administration proposed significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including a plan to replace up to half of monetary benefits with government-provided boxes of processed foods.
• The USDA eliminated the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) as a stand-alone agency and rolled back the Farmer Fair Practices Rules, removing protections for poultry and livestock farmers against corporate exploitation.
• Secretary Perdue has expressed climate change denial, describing it as a running joke and praising the US withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, which the report argues threatens the future of US farming.
• The USDA's fiscal 2019 budget request proposed a 25 percent overall reduction, including cutting the Economic Research Service budget by half and eliminating the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
• The USDA reorganized the US Codex Office by moving it under the undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, creating a potential conflict of interest between trade promotion and food safety science.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2018). Betrayal at the USDA. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/04/betrayal-at-the-usda-report-ucs-2018.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Betrayal at the USDA. 2018. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/04/betrayal-at-the-usda-report-ucs-2018.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Betrayal at the USDA |date=April 2018 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/04/betrayal-at-the-usda-report-ucs-2018.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2018betrayal, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Betrayal at the USDA}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/04/betrayal-at-the-usda-report-ucs-2018.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }