U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Amarillo) sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday regarding COVID-19 restrictions on Farm Service Agency facilities.

In the letter, Jackson called for Vilsack to reopen the facilities to assist farmers and ranchers seeking resources and assistance during this time. Jackson said in a statement that he decided to send the letter after speaking with farmers and ranchers about their concerns related to restrictions on the facilities.

“I always enjoy talking with Texas’ farmers and ranchers about what’s working and what’s not so I can best advocate for them in Congress,” Jackson said. “They have made clear to me that restricted access to FSA facilities has added burdensome bureaucratic hurdles to accessing federal resources from the Department of Agriculture. The Department’s one size fits all approach to FSA office hours is not working and, in a place like Texas where COVID-19 cases are dropping and an increasing number of the population is vaccinated, it is unnecessary. Texas is open for business, and I urge Secretary Vilsack to follow this proven approach by re-opening our FSA offices.”

In addition to Jackson, the letter was also signed by Texas Reps. Michael Cloud, Jodey Arrington, Louie Gohmert, Randy Weber, Pete Sessions, August Pfluger, and Tony Gonzales.