U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, answers questions during a Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce event on Aug. 28, 2025, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, is praising the federal Department of Agriculture’s plan to reopen Farm Service Agency offices for what he described as “a few days a week” while the government shutdown continues.
Rounds said he discussed the issue Tuesday with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
“We’ve heard from producers who are selling their livestock and their grain who can’t get their checks endorsed while the government has been shut down, resulting in missed loan payments,” Rounds said in a news release. “Many producers use the FSA as a lender and they need to be able to release these funds as their loans are paid off.”
In response to questions from South Dakota Searchlight, a spokesperson for Rounds said the employees needed to reopen the offices are working without receiving a paycheck, but will receive backpay when the government reopens.
Rollins said earlier Tuesday on social media that the Farm Service Agency’s 2,100 offices nationwide will resume “core operations” on Thursday.
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