Intense Opposition from Congress Persists Over USDA's Relocation Plan
USDA Plans Major Relocation of Employees Amid Controversy
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced plans to relocate around 2,500–2,600 employees from Washington, D.C., to five new hub locations: Raleigh, NC; Kansas City, MO; Indianapolis, IN; Fort Collins, CO; and Salt Lake City, UT. This move is part of a broader reorganization aimed at consolidating regional offices, reducing bureaucracy, and bringing staff closer to the agricultural communities they serve, while managing workforce costs amid recent salary and staffing increases.
However, the plan has faced criticism from House Democrats and some senators, who have raised concerns about the USDA’s transparency and the rationale behind the relocation. The lawmakers argue that the plan was released without prior congressional or stakeholder input, and question whether it genuinely serves local communities or instead risks further workforce reductions. There has been particular scrutiny over the selection of hub locations since none are in the country’s top agricultural states, leading to questions about whether cost of living alone justified the choices rather than agricultural impact.
The USDA leadership has acknowledged the challenges of the high cost of living in Washington, D.C., as a major factor for relocation. They have indicated that the plan favors voluntary relocations over layoffs, though reductions in force remain possible. The leadership has also noted that relocation expenses would be covered within federal limits to support employees making the move.
Congressional Democrats have voiced significant reservations about the plan’s transparency, engagement prior to its announcement, and the adequacy of its cost-benefit considerations. They have written a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins expressing these concerns and have urged the agency to turn over all documents and communications related to the relocation plans. The lawmakers have given a deadline of Aug. 21 for the agency to explain how it prepared for the relocation and detail any cost-benefit analysis that occurred prior to announcing its plans.
The USDA’s relocation effort comes after the White House’s directive for agencies to conduct reorganization and reduction-in-force plans this year, including proposed relocations of agency bureaus and offices from Washington, D.C., and the national capital region to less-costly parts of the country. The relocation plans underway at USDA are much broader than those that occurred in 2019.
Democratic lawmakers have reintroduced the COST of Relocations Act earlier this year, requiring agencies to conduct and publish a detailed cost-benefit analysis before permanently relocating any offices. If passed, the act would include an assessment of real estate and staffing costs, as well as estimates of employee attrition and anticipated impacts on agency mission.
In the midst of this controversy, the USDA is gathering feedback from lawmakers on the reorganization plan. The USDA announced last month that it would relocate more than half of its employees in the national capital region to the five hubs across the country. The department is also preparing for a major relocation of about 2,500 federal employees from Washington, D.C., to multiple locations across the country.
This news follows President Donald Trump's reelection campaign promise to move up to 100,000 federal employees out of D.C. and relocate them to other parts of the country. The Trump administration had previously rescinded two executive orders that encouraged agencies to prioritize urban areas and historic properties in decisions on federal buildings in April.
As the USDA moves forward with its relocation plans, it remains to be seen how the concerns of congressional Democrats will be addressed and whether the planned consolidation will achieve its stated goals of efficiency and cost management.
The USDA's relocation plan, a part of a broader reorganization, is currently under scrutiny in policy-and-legislation circles due to concerns over transparency and cost-benefit considerations raised by Congressional Democrats. The ongoing politics surrounding this general-news topic involves demands for the USDA to disclose documents and communications related to the relocation plan, with a deadline set for August 21.
