USDA orders 2,600 employees to relocate or resign from Washington

USDA relocating 2,600 of 4,600 National Capital Region employees to five regional hubs (Raleigh NC, Kansas City MO, Indianapolis IN, Fort Collins CO, Salt Lake City UT)

Announced Jul. 24, 2025 by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins; relocations are mandatory reassignments, refusal results in termination

Plan closes USDA South Building (with $1.3 billion deferred maintenance), Braddock Place, and Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (500 employees)

15,364 USDA employees already took deferred resignation offers; reorganization expects to keep only 2,000 employees in Washington DC area

AFGE National President Everett Kelley warns relocations will disrupt food safety inspections, agricultural research, and forest management

Congressional Democrats led by Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10) demand cost-benefit analysis and employee consultation by Aug. 21, 2025

Historical precedent: 2019 Trump administration relocations of BLM, Economic Research Service, and National Institute of Food and Agriculture resulted in 75% staff loss

USDA legally requires congressional approval for major reorganizations but proceeded without formal authorization

Beltsville closure ends decades of research on honeybee decline, human nutrition, CRISPR gene-editing, and livestock pathogens

Forest Service eliminating 9 regional offices; Agricultural Research Service eliminating area offices