Newhouse blasts firing of federal WA farm service exec. ‘Mistake and a disservice’
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse blasted the firing of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s top executive in Washington state for ag loans, disaster relief and other programs, as a shortsighted “mistake.”
Jon Wyss, 54, declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday after he was reportedly fired from his post as executive director for the USDA’s Farm Service Agency operations in the state.
Wyss, who lives in Brewster in Okanogan County, was appointed to the post in 2019 during the first Trump Administration.
He was reappointed in 2022 during the Biden Administration and a third time in May after Trump returned to office.
Because of the federal shutdown, no officials could be reached Thursday to ask about his firing.
‘Mistake and a disservice’
However, 4th District Republican Congressman Newhouse issued a statement critical of the decision.
“Jon Wyss has dedicated his career to helping farmers in Washington state, and he has been an asset in making sure we are a leader in the U.S. agriculture industry,” he said.
“His experience, relationships with producers, and firsthand understanding of the challenges in farm country give producers an ally in the federal government. Jon’s firing is a mistake and a disservice to farmers who need a strong leader at the Farm Service Agency, especially now, when times are tough,” he said.
Newhouse said he expressed his concerns to the USDA and the White House “because Jon was a true advocate for farmers in Washington state.”
According to an official biography that remains on the USDA webpage, Wyss worked in and outside of agriculture for decades.
Prior to joining the Farm Services Agency, he served as government affairs director for Gebbers Farms, his wife’s family farm business.
He also held leadership roles in the U.S. Apple Association, the USA Farmers Association and locally for the Washington State Farm Bureau and the Okanogan County Farm Bureau.
He also chairs the Okanagan County Long Term Recovery Group created after devastating wildfires in Okanogan in 2014 and 2015.
He has served in various U.S. Trustee Offices and is a former chief deputy director for the Spokane County Assessor’s Office.
In 2016, he ran as a Republican to represent Washington’s 12th Legislative District in the state Senate. He lost to a fellow Republican in the general election.