Local offices for the financial support arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture are expected to reopen Thursday, and certain functions will resume even as the federal government shutdown continues.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted on social media that the Farm Service Agency will resume core operations, including farm loan processing, disaster relief payments and certain farm assistance payments.
"Special thanks to our great USDA employees who continue to work without pay to serve our farmers and ranchers," Rollin wrote in the post.
There are hundreds of county offices nationwide, including 59 in Oklahoma and one state-level office based in Stillwater.
In an email, a USDA spokesperson wrote that President Donald Trump is committed to ensuring producers and farmers can manage their operations during the shutdown without normal USDA services.
The spokesperson wrote the action will release $3 billion in aid, and county offices will be staffed with two employees, five days a week.
Under the USDA contingency plan, if the shutdown continues past 10 days, at least one employee per service center is expected to be on call to complete certain loan processing. The agency did not shy away from getting political in its response.
"President Trump will not let the radical left Democrat shutdown impact critical USDA services while harvest is underway across the country," the USDA spokesperson wrote.
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