Federal Agency Meant for Farming Now Builds Jails and Aids Foreign Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is under new scrutiny as question arise whether the agency has strayed far from its original mission. Known for supporting farmers and ensuring food safety, the USDA is now involved in projects that many taxpayers may find surprising. 

Among the more eye-opening revelations: the USDA has spent over $365 million building or expanding 53 jails across 21 states, funded through its rural development programs. 

“You think the USDA is about farms and food,” said Jeremiah Mosteller, Senior Policy Director with Americans for Prosperity. “Then you find out it’s building jails. That’s a huge disconnect from what people expect—and from what the agency was originally created to do.” 

Another controversial program, the Fertilize Right Initiative, has allocated $20 million to help farmers in Brazil, Colombia, Pakistan, and Vietnam use fertilizer more efficiently. While billed as an international aid effort, the initiative has sparked concerns over whether U.S. tax dollars should be helping foreign competitors. 

“It’s one thing to support global food security,” Mosteller said. “But when you’re helping countries that compete directly with our own farmers, you have to ask, who is the USDA really working for?” 

Mosteller, who grew up in a farming community, says the agency has lost focus. “The USDA’s core mandate is to support American agriculture and ensure a safe food supply,” he said. “But some of these programs don’t even try to fit that goal anymore.” 

The USDA also plays a massive role in administering social services, overseeing more than 80 different welfare and health assistance programs. Each has its own eligibility rules and application process, leading to confusion for recipients and inefficiencies for taxpayers. 

“It’s a bureaucratic maze,” Mosteller explained. “People who need help are forced to navigate dozens of systems, and that complexity invites fraud and waste.” 

Some states are beginning to test alternatives. In Texas, a nonprofit called Project Unity is streamlining access to public assistance by helping residents determine eligibility across multiple programs in one place. Abroad, Estonia has created a fully digital system to manage hundreds of services efficiently and securely. 

“There’s no reason we can’t bring that kind of innovation here,” Mosteller said. “This isn’t about cutting benefits. It’s about making government work better.” 

It’s estimated the U.S. could save up to $554 billion by modernizing how benefits are delivered, without reducing a single dollar in aid. Combined with other proposed reforms, potential savings now exceed $1.1 trillion. 

“These aren’t pie-in-the-sky ideas,” said Mosteller. “They’re practical, proven reforms. The only thing standing in the way is the political will to act.”