🏢USDA Secretary Rollins orders relocation or resignation for 2,600 employees
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Labor & Employment
On July 24, 2025, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced she will move about 2,600 of USDA’s 4,600 Washington, D.C., employees to five regional hubs in Salt Lake City, Fort Collins, Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Raleigh. She says the reorganization will cut costs, reduce a $1.3 billion maintenance backlog, and bring staff closer to farmers. Federal unions and lawmakers warn the plan could disrupt research, food safety inspections, and forest management.
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Key Takeaways
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Why This Matters
🍎 Your food safety:
Relocating inspectors could slow safety checks on thousands of products you buy weekly—track inspection schedules near you.
🏘️ Local service access:
Moving 2,600 staff may leave rural communities without nearby USDA support for loans and grants—call your county office to voice concerns.
💰 Budget impact:
Vacating buildings with $1.3 billion in deferred maintenance may save money but could trigger $50 million in transition costs—ask your representative for oversight.
📊 Policy influence:
Fewer experts in D.C. means less technical input on farming and food policy—email your senator to demand impact studies.
🎙️ Get involved:
Submit testimony to the House Agriculture Committee by July 31 or attend the August 5 oversight hearing in D.C.
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Detailed Content
1
How many USDA employees in the Washington DC area will be forced to relocate under Brooke Rollins' plan?
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Labor & Employment
2
Which five cities will serve as USDA's new regional hub locations?
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Agriculture & Rural Affairs
3
How many USDA employees voluntarily left the agency through early retirement offers?
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Agriculture & Rural Affairs
4
How much will the USDA save in federal locality pay by moving workers from DC to regional hubs?
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Agriculture & Rural Affairs
5
What critical USDA function does Rollins claim will continue uninterrupted despite the reorganization?
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Agriculture & Rural Affairs
6
Which Senate Agriculture Committee members are demanding hearings on USDA's reorganization plan?
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Agriculture & Rural Affairs
7
USDA employees who refuse relocation assignments can be terminated.
True/False
Labor & Employment
8
During Trump's first term, more than half of relocated USDA researchers quit rather than move to Kansas City.
True/False
Labor & Employment
9
The U.S. Forest Service will consolidate its nine regional offices into as few as three locations.
True/False
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
10
USDA estimates it will cost $150,000 per employee to relocate workers to the new regional hubs.
True/False
Labor & Employment