USDA Plans Nationwide Reorganization, Moves Staff From Washington DC

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a comprehensive reorganization plan for the USDA aimed at refocusing the department's core operations on its founding mission of supporting American farming, ranching, and forestry. The reorganization will reduce the USDA workforce in the Washington, D.C., area by relocating over half of the current 4,600 employees to five regional hubs in Raleigh, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Fort Collins, and Salt Lake City, with no more than 2,000 staff remaining in the capital. This move addresses issues of high cost of living and redundancies in the National Capital Region, while preserving critical health, safety, and national security functions. The department emphasized that all essential services will continue uninterrupted during the transition and highlighted that the reorganization is part of a broader effort to reduce bloated staffing and management layers that grew in recent years without improving service to agricultural stakeholders. Additionally, USDA plans to vacate and possibly shutter several D.C. buildings, citing significant deferred maintenance costs. This plan aligns with President Trump's administration's goals of government efficiency and bringing services closer to American farmers and ranchers.