Congressman Clay Higgins and Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry have sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, urging the department to consider New Orleans as a location for one of its new regional hubs. The USDA had previously proposed sites in Raleigh, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Fort Collins, and Salt Lake City.
Higgins expressed concern about the lack of Southern representation among the proposed locations. “Despite the Democrat-forced shutdown, my advocacy for Louisiana and access to the White House remain unaffected,” said Congressman Higgins. “President Trump and Secretary Rollins are right to decentralize the Department of Agriculture from Washington D.C. bureaucrats. However, I’m concerned that the Deep South and Gulf Coast are underrepresented in the current slate of proposed locations.”
In their letter, Higgins and Landry stated: “I urge your full and fair consideration for Louisiana to be home to a USDA Regional Hub, specifically New Orleans as it is located on the vital Mississippi River and operates as a world-renowned center of trade. A regional hub in New Orleans would represent commodities not served by any of the other hub locations, especially cotton, sugarcane and rice.”
Clay Higgins has represented Louisiana’s 3rd district in Congress since 2017 after succeeding Charles Boustany. He was born in New Orleans in 1961 and currently resides in Lafayette.
