US Secretary of Agriculture Rollins famous that every one vital capabilities of USDA will proceed uninterrupted
25 July 2025
4 minute learn
Editor’s observe: press launch asserting reorganization as issued by USDA. Nationwide Capital Area refers to Washington DC together with elements of Maryland and Virginia.
US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins introduced the reorganization of the US Division of Agriculture (USDA), refocusing its core operations to raised align with its founding mission of supporting American farming, ranching, and forestry.
Over the final 4 years, USDA’s workforce grew by 8%, and workers’ salaries elevated by 14.5% – together with hiring hundreds of workers with no sustainable solution to pay them. This all occurred with none tangible improve in service to USDA’s core constituencies throughout the agricultural sector. USDA’s footprint within the Nationwide Capital Area (NCR) is underutilized and redundant, suffering from rampant overspending and many years of mismanagement and dear deferred upkeep. President Trump has made it clear authorities must be scrutinized, and after this thorough assessment of USDA, the outcomes present a bloated, costly, and unsustainable group.
To be clear, all vital capabilities of the Division will proceed uninterrupted. For instance, we’re on the peak of fireplace season, and up to now, haven’t solely exceeded hiring targets, however have preserved the flexibility to proceed to rent. Earlier this yr, Secretary Rollins issued a Secretarial Memorandum exempting Nationwide Safety and Public Security positions from the federal hiring freeze. These 52 place classifications perform capabilities which might be vital to the protection and safety of the American folks, our nationwide forests, and the inspection and security of the Nation’s agriculture and meals provide system. These positions is not going to be eradicated. Nonetheless, workers could also be topic to relocation.
“American agriculture feeds, garments, and fuels this nation and the world, and it’s long gone time the Division higher serve the good and patriotic farmers, ranchers, and producers we’re mandated to assist. President Trump was elected to make actual change in Washington, and we’re doing simply that by transferring our key providers exterior the beltway and into nice American cities throughout the nation,” stated Secretary Rollins. “We are going to accomplish that by means of a clear and common sense course of that preserves USDA’s vital well being and public security providers the American public depends on. We are going to do proper by the good American individuals who we serve and with respect to the hundreds of hardworking USDA workers who so nobly serve their nation.”
The reorganization consists of 4 pillars:
- Guarantee the scale of USDA’s workforce aligns with accessible monetary assets and agricultural priorities
- Convey USDA nearer to its clients
- Get rid of administration layers and forms
- Consolidate redundant assist capabilities
To carry USDA nearer to the folks it serves whereas additionally offering a extra inexpensive price of residing for USDA workers, USDA has developed a phased plan to relocate a lot of its Company headquarters and NCR employees out of the Washington, D.C. space to 5 hub areas. The Division presently has roughly 4,600 workers inside the Nationwide Capital Area (NCR). This Area has one of many highest prices of residing within the nation, with a federal wage locality price of 33.94%. In choosing its hub areas, USDA thought-about the place present concentrations of USDA workers are positioned and factored in the price of residing. Washington, D.C. will nonetheless maintain capabilities for each mission space of USDA on the conclusion of this reorganization, however USDA expects not more than 2,000 workers will stay within the NCR.
USDA will vacate and return to the Normal Providers Administration the South Constructing, Braddock Place, and the Beltsville Agricultural Analysis Heart, and revisit utilization and capabilities within the USDA Whitten Constructing, Yates Constructing, and the Nationwide Agricultural Library. The George Washington Carver Heart may also be utilized till house optimization actions are accomplished. These buildings have a backlog of pricey deferred upkeep and presently are occupied under the minimal set by regulation. For instance, the South Constructing has roughly $1.3 billion in deferred upkeep and has a median every day occupancy of lower than 1,900 people for a constructing that may home over 6,000 workers.
USDA’s 5 hub areas and present Federal locality charges are:
- Raleigh, North Carolina (22.24%)
- Kansas Metropolis, Missouri (18.97%)
- Indianapolis, Indiana (18.15%)
- Fort Collins, Colorado (30.52%)
- Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah (17.06%)
View the Secretary Memorandum (PDF, 2.6 MB)
That is solely the primary part of a multi-month course of. Over the subsequent month and the place relevant, USDA senior management will notify places of work with extra info on relocation to one of many regional hubs.
To make sure USDA can afford its workforce, this reorganization is one other step of the Division’s means of lowering its workforce. A lot of this discount was by means of voluntary retirements and the Deferred Retirement Program (DRP), a very voluntary instrument. As of in the present day, 15,364 people voluntarily elected deferred resignation.
