Washington, D.C.- U.S. Third District Congressman Frank Lucas expressed his delight in USDA’s announcement today that it has halted its proposed plan to close 30 percent of the more than 2,300 Farm Service Agency field offices.  Lucas had authored legislation to halt the proposed office closures.

“I’m pleased to see that USDA has come around to our way of thinking,” Lucas said. “This was a bad idea from the start, and was never vetted with members of Congress.  I think the more that USDA officials talked to the real people who would be affected by the plan, the more they realized how bad an idea it was.”
    
USDA cited pressure from Lucas and other members of Congress in deciding to set aside the proposed mass closures.  Lucas authored legislation that would prohibit any local or county FSA office closings at least until 2007, when the next Farm Bill will take effect.  His office met with FSA officials to express his opposition to the plan.

USDA’s “FSA Tomorrow” plan would have closed 19 of the 65 FSA offices in Oklahoma, and all 65 Oklahoma offices would have been under review to be one of the 19 closed offices.

Lucas is a member of the House Agriculture Committee, which has jurisdiction over USDA and FSA.  He operates a farm and cattle ranch in Roger Mills County with his wife, Lynda. There are 31 FSA offices in Lucas’ Third Congressional District.