Partido Demócrata de Nueva Jersey del condado de Warren

August 7, 2025

Megan O’Rourke - Former USDA Climate Scientist & Labor Leader

- Announces Campaign for NJ-07
 

The Blairstown Native Recently Resigned from Trump’s USDA As He Attacked the Science Community & Her Role
 

BLAIRSTOWN, NJ. – Today, climate scientist and local union leader Megan O’Rourke announced her campaign for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District.

 

Megan was born and raised in the district where her family has lived since her great grandfather immigrated from Ireland. She recently resigned from her post as the lead climate scientist within her agency at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) due to the Trump Administration’s aggressive attacks on her work and climate science as a whole.
 

“My entire career, I’ve fought to help put nutritious, affordable food on the table and to combat climate change for families in New Jersey, and the Trump Administration is working to undermine and devastate those efforts on a daily basis. I took an oath to uphold the Constitution when I joined federal service and unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, my time serving the public as a climate scientist has come to an end. But, I am excited to fight for New Jersey families here at home in a new way: by running for Congress,” said Megan O’Rourke.

 

Megan personally understands how prices at the grocery store, sky-high taxes, housing shortages, and the cost of health care can make or break a family. Until she earned her Ph.D. at the age of thirty, Megan and her family were below the poverty line and relied on critical programs like Medicaid, Head Start, and WIC to make ends meet. So when Tom Kean Jr. voted for President Trump’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill, she knew she had to do something. She’s running for Congress to stand up for her friends and neighbors in New Jersey and to fight to lower the cost of living and ensure a sustainable, safe future for our families.

 

O’Rourke continued, “Families here in New Jersey are struggling to pay the bills and to afford the basics, and solving those problems will be a deeply personal mission in Congress. I grew up in a family of six in Blairstown and my Mom worked hard to support us, but we still struggled financially. I’d go to the office with my Mom on weekends so she could work overtime, my family had a cleaning gig where I was in charge of bathrooms, and there were points in my life where I counted on Medicaid and food assistance to make ends meet.”  

 

“So, it’s infuriating and hurtful to see members of Congress like Tom Kean, Jr. vote to rip away affordable healthcare through Medicaid and cut food assistance - all while increasing our debt to pad the pockets of the very rich. I’ve always fought to make lives better for workers and families, and when I’m in Congress my neighbors and constituents will never have to wonder where I am or if I have their back.”

 

After eight years working in the federal government as a Ph.D. climate change scientist and agriculture expert, Megan resigned this spring. Within the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Program, Megan led the distribution of approximately $200 million annually in research and program funding to improve food security and affordability for families and combat climate change in the United States. Megan is also a local union leader, serving as a Union Steward for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
 

 

More About Megan O’Rourke:

 

Megan is a native of Blairstown, NJ, the youngest of four children, and a graduate of North Warren Regional High School. Growing up, her family struggled financially. Her mother, who was the primary bread winner, began her career in clerical work and went to college later in life, bringing Megan with her to classes at Centenary College when she couldn’t find a sitter.

 

Despite graduating at the top of her class as a Star Ledger Scholar, there was no immediate path to college for Megan after high school. Instead, Megan found a fellowship through the local Rotary Club and earned money by sorting mail, waitressing and whatever other odd jobs she could get.

 

 

Determined to continue her education, she found her way to Brigham Young University, where she met her husband of 25 years who is a native of Madison, NJ. Megan worked her way through school, eventually earning degrees at Stony Brook University, Iowa State University, and her Ph.D. from Cornell University while starting a small farm business with her husband and raising three kids on less than $30,000 a year. During that time, her family used critical federal programs like Medicaid, WIC and Head Start to make ends meet.

 

 

Megan has used her education to give back. As a tenured professor, she studied how to make agriculture more sustainable to lower costs for families and protect our environment for future generations. As a federal employee, she has worked to improve food security and combat climate change at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). As a Brookings Fellow serving as a senior advisor to Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, Megan learned first-hand how to get things done in Congress and deliver results for constituents.

 

For the last five years, she led climate change science at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) overseeing approximately $200 million in funding annually. Now with three adult children, Megan continues her dedication to public service and making lives better by running for Congress.

 

Megan also served as the Union Steward for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) while at USDA-NIFA where she led efforts to ensure coworkers could access benefits under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Family and Medical Leave Act.