Gov. DeSantis wants cuts to Agriculture Department amid feud with Wilton Simpson

Wilton Simpson under scrutiny as DeSantis questions his influence on "grotesque" immigration bill.

Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to cut nearly 13% from the current Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) budget amid his ongoing immigration fight with the Legislature and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.

DeSantis called for a $398 million cut to the Department’s budget, to $2.68 billion.

Late Sunday, DeSantis released his proposed 2025-2026 budget cut proposal, “Focus on Fiscal Responsibility.” It asks the Legislature to pass a $115.6 billion budget, about $3 million less than the current 2024-25 annual budget.

DeSantis called for slashing the Agriculture Department’s executive direction and support services by a staggering 73%, from the currently budgeted $126.3 million to just $33.6 million.

The Governor proposed cutting $251 million from the food, nutrition, and wellness division, bringing its annual funding to just under $2 billion.

DeSantis’ budget plan also included decreasing agricultural environmental services by about $4 million, to $24.4 million and the division of licensing by about $6 million, to $36.4 million, as well as $7 million decrease for the Florida Forest Service.

Not all FDACS divisions could see budget cuts.

Under DeSantis’ budget proposal, the funding for the Agriculture Department’s consumer protection division would increase from about $28.5 million in the current budget to nearly $37.4 million.

DeSantis and Simpson are in an ongoing fight over who should be the leader in fighting illegal immigration.

The Legislature passed the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act — or “TRUMP Act” — that would name Simpson as the new chief immigration officer to work with the federal government on immigration as one of several provisions cracking down on illegal immigration.

Rep. Lawrence McClure argued that Simpson is the right official for the task, opposing DeSantis, who threatened to veto the bill and argued that his office is best suited for the job. DeSantis said picking Simpson was like putting the “fox in the henhouse.”

 “So why do we pick him? Well, because he’s a good man. Why do we pick his agency? Because they’ve got good people. That’s it,” McClure said during last week’s debate.

Simpson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday morning about the Governor’s budget plan.