The Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed an appropriations bill that contains no funding for the proposed relocation of U.S. Department of Agriculture research agencies to the Kansas City area.
Tuesday’s 227-194 vote looks to block a move that Kansas City leaders cheered for the 500-plus jobs it’s expected to move to the region but that has been criticized by some of the researchers who don’t want to leave Washington, D.C., and those who think the relocation is meant to diminish USDA research.
The appropriations bill, if passed in its current form, would take effect on Oct. 1. USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue has said he wants initial employees to report for work in temporary work space in Kansas City in September, a tight timeline possibly meant to begin the move using current year funds. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, has accused Perdue of rushing the move to avoid congressional opposition.
(Read more: KC Star Local News)