USDA Relocates Over Half Workforce From Washington to Regional Hubs

The Trump administration, under Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, has announced a major reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to decentralize its workforce by relocating the majority of its Washington, D.C. employees to five regional hubs in Raleigh, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Fort Collins, and Salt Lake City. This plan will reduce the USDA's National Capital Region staff from 4,600 to no more than 2,000, aiming to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and bring the department closer to farmers and rural communities. Rollins emphasized that the reorganization is not a large-scale workforce reduction but relies on voluntary retirements and buyouts, with over 15,000 employees having opted for voluntary separation programs. The move also intends to address the high cost of living pay adjustments by moving employees to areas with lower locality pay rates. The USDA's workforce has grown 8% over the past four years with a 14.5% salary increase, but service improvements have lagged, prompting this restructuring. While the plan has received some praise for its cost-saving and service goals, critics like Senator Amy Klobuchar have expressed concerns about potential negative impacts on research and service delivery.