FRC- Department of Agriculture

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President Obama
The White House Office
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20500

Mr. President,

There are many Americans who are aligned with your goal of “eliminating programs that don’t work”. This goal is attainable and especially important as our tax dollars are being used to support a failing economy. Now more than ever, every penny we send you to support our economy is being watched more closely by the American public.  This is why we are providing our energy and efforts to make your vision a reality – especially when it comes to giving you the money we so badly need for our families.

Included are the Peoples “report card” documenting accountability for our Federal Government organizations. Our report on the Department of Agriculture is our third is this series. The Department of Agriculture’s own performance report gives them a passing grade in every category but fails to identify clear and responsible goals and objectives. Their programs have not set goals that will deliver any substantial results to the American Taxpayers. All programs implemented and managed by the Department of Agriculture are either unnecessary or redundant to the efforts of other agencies and can be better utilized operating at the State and local level.

We did not attempt to define the usefulness of their programs – we have simply used their Program Performance Plan. Private business would never succeed with the results (if any) provided by the Department of Agriculture. You are asking them to change, are you willing to make the same difficult decisions you are asking private business to make?

We do not just preach change, we have written our blueprint for a Department of Agriculture that is 100% efficient with a single focus. This program saves over $93B annually and can be implemented in 4 years.

We believe, as you, that American’s health is a prime concern and that the quality of our food is very important.  We must protect our food from natural and man-made contaminants. This plan does not compromise this it ensures the greatest good for all concerned is considered and implemented.

Allow “Change” to become a verb and not an adjective!

For a better America!

Bryant Delaney

“It’s important for people to know what happens here at the Department of Agriculture. As you begin moving the policies and programs of this Administration forward, I wanted to come by and just remind people of the work that you do–from supporting the farmers that produce the food that we eat, to managing the school meal programs that give students the energy and the nutrition they need to get through the day, to providing greater access to fresh fruits and vegetables, to giving struggling families the assistance they need to put food on their table, and to protecting our food supply. The work of this Department touches the lives of all Americans on a daily basis in ways that sometimes we can’t even imagine.”
–    Michele Obama

Rep. Collin C. Peterson (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’ “The mission of the department needs to be examined; there needs to be some restructuring.”
“The People agree with Representative Peterson. The Department of Agriculture is only serving the politicians on the House Agriculture Committee. 42% of the almost $20 billion a year in subsidies is paid to the 22 Congressional Districts with Members sitting on the Agriculture Committee. One in five Americans are touched by the $63 billion annually representing two-thirds of the USDA’s budget meaning they either rely on one of them for food or have an immediate family member who does. Still, USDA officials said only 63 percent of those who qualify for the programs have been identified and enrolled. (See Appendix).
The Department of Agriculture has no clear mission and even food is examined by 14 different agencies. It is time to stop spending $96.5B dollars on hope.
–    Bryant Delaney, DOI2.com

Department of Agriculture – New

The Peoples Platform provides a finite focus compared to their current organization which is highly redundant with other Agencies;
–    The Department of the Interior is responsible for land management;
–    The Department of Housing and Urban Development is responsible for home loans and the quality of life aspects in Urban (and rural) areas
–    14 agencies are responsible for food safety
The new Department of Agriculture is the only organization responsible for food safety and that is their only responsibility.

BEFORE
100,000+ Employees
$96B Budget

AFTER
(Unknown) Employees – $2,710B Budget

SAVINGS
$93,290B Annually

SCORE
N/A – Fail

Blueprint for Implementation
1.   Strategic Goal #1: $1,697B;  Enhance International Competitiveness of American Agriculture
a.    Maintain and Expand International Trade Opportunities
i.    This is transferred to the State Department
b.    Improved Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) systems to Facilitate Agricultural Trade
i.    Transferred to Strategic Goal # 4
1.    Strategic Goal 2: $20,605B; Enhance the Competitiveness and Sustainability of Rural and Farm Economies
a.    Increase the Efficiency of Domestic Agricultural Production and Marketing Systems
i.    Transferred to Department of Education
b.    Provide Risk Management and Financial Tools to Farmers and Ranchers
i.    Transferred to Department of Education
2.   Strategic Goal 3:$3,962B; Support Increased Economic Opportunities and Improved Quality of Life In Rural America
a.    Expand Economic Opportunities by Using USDA Financial Resources to Leverage Private Sector Resources and Create Opportunities for Growth
i.    Eliminated – programs are redundant with Department of Housing and Urban Development
b.    Improve the Quality of Life Through USDA Financing of Quality Housing
i.    Eliminated – programs are redundant with Department of Housing and Urban Development
3.    Strategic Goal 4: $2,710B; Enhance Protection and Safety of the Nation’s Agriculture and Food Supply
a.    Reduce the Incidence of Food borne Illnesses related to Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products in the U.S.
b.    Reduce the Number and Severity of Agriculture Pest and Disease Outbreaks
4.    Strategic Goal 5: $59,839B; Improve the Nation’s Nutrition and Health
a.    Ensure Access to Nutritious Food
i.    Transferred to States
b.    Improve Nutrition Assistance Program Management and Customer Service
i.    Transferred to States
5.    Strategic Goal 6: $11,013B; Protect and Enhance the Nation’s Natural Resource Base and Environment
a.    Protect Watershed Health to Ensure Clean and Abundant Water
i.    Eliminated as non-effective
b.    Enhance Soil Quality to Maintain Productive Cropland Base
i.    Eliminated as non-effective
c.    Protect Forests and Grazing Lands
i.    Eliminated as non-effective
d.    Protect and Enhance Wildlife Habitat to Benefit Desired, At-Risk and Declining Species
i.    Eliminated as non-effective and redundant

Table of Contents
Department of Agriculture – New
BEFORE
AFTER
SAVINGS
SCORE
Blueprint for Implementation
Department of Agriculture
An Overview of the Department of Agriculture
Top 5 Programs by Budget
Strategic Goal 1: Enhance International Competitiveness of American
Agriculture
Strategic Goal 2: Enhance the Competitiveness and Sustainability of Rural and Farm Economies
Strategic Goal 3: Support Increased Economic Opportunities and Improved Quality of Life In Rural America
Strategic Goal 4: Enhance Protection and Safety of the Nation’s Agriculture and Food Supply
Strategic Goal 5: Improve the Nation’s Nutrition and Health
Strategic Goal 6: Protect and Enhance the Nation’s Natural Resource Base and Environment
Balance Sheet
Condensed Statement of Net Cost
History
Organizational Chart
FY 2008 key milestones include:
Joint Initiatives
Presidential Directives Activities in FY 2008
USDA Shared Services Activities in FY 2008
Other PMA Related Initiatives Activities in FY 2008
Reports and Publication
Research and Science
Appendix
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