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New York Post
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
USDA to vacate several Washington buildings, relocate staff to regional hubs
The US Department of Agriculture announced Thursday it will relocate much of its staff in the Washington, D.C., area to five regional hubs and vacate several buildings in the nation's capital, including its flagship research center. No more than 2,000 USDA employees will remain in the Washington area at the conclusion of the reorganization effort, the agency said in a news release. Advertisement The remaining 2,600 people will be relocated to hubs in Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City. The USDA also said it will vacate several locations in the Washington area, including its flagship research center, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland, and one of its headquarters buildings on the National Mall. 'American agriculture feeds, clothes and fuels this nation and the world, and it is long past time the department better serve the great and patriotic farmers, ranchers and producers we are mandated to support,' Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement. 'President Trump was elected to make real change in Washington, and we are doing just that by moving our key services outside the beltway and into great American cities across the country. 'We will do so through a transparent and commonsense process that preserves USDA's critical health and public safety services the American public relies on,' she continued. 'We will do right by the great American people who we serve and with respect to the thousands of hardworking USDA employees who so nobly serve their country.' Advertisement 4 The USDA is relocating thousands of staffers based in Washington, D.C. JHVEPhoto – In a video to staff, Rollins said the plan to relocate workers was made to bring the agency's staff closer to its 'core constituents.' The USDA's plan is the latest effort by the Trump administration to reorganize and downsize the federal workforce. The agency is not making widespread cuts to its staff, although the relocation plan is part of the USDA's process of reducing its workforce, it said in the release. Advertisement 4 USDA employees will be sent to five regional hubs across the US. Wangkun Jia – It said much of its reduction was through voluntary retirements and the agency's Deferred Retirement Program. More than 15,000 workers, about 15% of its total workforce, voluntarily chose one of the two financial incentive offers to resign. The Senate Agriculture Committee's chair, Arkansas Republican Sen. John Boozman; the ranking member, Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar; and the ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee, Minnesota Democrat Rep. Angie Craig, said in statements they were not consulted on the plan and called for hearings on the reorganization effort. Advertisement 4 The US Department of Agriculture is led by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. AP 'The best way to serve our agriculture community is by working together, so it's disappointing USDA didn't share its plans in advance of this announcement,' Boozman said. Craig said the 'planned reorganization announced by the agriculture secretary without notice or input from Congress or key stakeholders and constituencies demonstrates that this administration failed to learn the lessons from previous similar efforts and is willfully risking the effectiveness of the agencies and programs that support America's family farmers.' The USDA also plans to reduce or close some regional offices, including consolidating the National Agricultural Statistics Service, which publishes agricultural market data, from twelve offices to five, according to a memo from the agency. 4 The staff relocations are part of the Trump administration's plan to organize and downsize the federal workforce. AP Additionally, the Forest Service will close its nine regional offices over the next year in a plan that 'will take into consideration the ongoing fire season,' the memo noted. The Agricultural Research Service's staff have already struggled with its workload after the voluntary resignations, according to employee Ethan Roberts. 'Many will not take the [relocation] offer, and we will lose even more administrative employees that are critical to the everyday functioning of the USDA and ARS,' he said. Reuters contributed to this report.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Agriculture Department to Move Most Remaining Washington Workers Out of City
The Agriculture Department will move most of its Washington-based employees outside the nation's capital, the agency announced Thursday. Brooke L. Rollins, the agriculture secretary, said in a memo that the agency would keep no more than 2,000 of the 4,600 members of its current Washington work force at offices in the area, instead spreading employees across five regional hubs. The memo also outlined plans to consolidate or eliminate local offices for subagencies focused on research, statistics, nutrition, forestry and conservation. 'President Trump was elected to make real change in Washington, and we are doing just that by moving our key services outside the Beltway and into great American cities across the country,' Ms. Rollins said in a statement. The vast majority of Agriculture Department employees already work outside the Washington area, spread across the country to assist farmers, conduct research and inspect animal and plant health. The agency's headquarters, though, are on the National Mall and house offices focused on civil rights, congressional relations and watchdog functions in addition to support staff. Ms. Rollins noted that more than 15,000 Agriculture Department employees — about 15 percent of the department's work force of about 100,000 — had taken buyouts. The consolidations and relocations will almost certainly lead to more exits. When the Agriculture Department moved two research agencies from Washington to Kansas City in 2019, each lost more than half of its staff before eventually recovering, according to the Government Accountability Office. The hubs will be Raleigh, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; Indianapolis; Fort Collins, Colo.; and Salt Lake City — all cities that already have regional offices. According to the memo, the Agriculture Department will also vacate, over the course of several years, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center — a 115 year-old facility in Maryland that has contributed to improving the shelf life of butter, developing pesticides and creating new varieties of vegetables and fruits. The American Federation of Government Employees, a union of federal employees, criticized the move. 'This administration is moving at breakneck speed to slash the size of the federal government, often with little thought into the consequences this will have on the American people who rely on the services our members deliver,' Everett Kelley, the union's president, said in a statement.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
USDA will relocate most Washington-area staff, farm secretary says
By Leah Douglas WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Agriculture will relocate much of its Washington, D.C., workforce to five regional hubs and vacate several buildings in the area, including its flagship research center, the agency announced on Thursday. The plan is the latest effort by President Donald Trump's administration to reduce the size and footprint of the federal government. More than 15,000 USDA employees, about 15% of its total workforce, have this year taken one of the agency's two financial incentive offers to leave the agency. No more than 2,000 USDA employees will remain in the Washington area once the reorganization is complete, the agency said in a press release. The rest will be relocated to hubs in Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah, the agency said. The USDA also said it will vacate several properties in the Washington area, including its flagship research site, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland, and one of its headquarters buildings on the National Mall. The phased plan to relocate workers was made to bring USDA staff closer to its "core constituents," Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a video to staff. Solve the daily Crossword
Reuters
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US farm agency finds safety issues at top research site after whistleblower complaints
WASHINGTON, June 26 - The Department of Agriculture found significant safety issues at its top U.S. research facility in an investigation of 2023 whistleblower complaints about the state of the site, the Office of Special Counsel said in a letter sent to the White House. The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., is the agency's flagship research site spanning nearly 7,000 acres (2,833 hectares) and houses labs studying climate change, invasive insects, animal genomics and more. Reuters exclusively reported in May 2023 that BARC workers had filed complaints that unsafe work conditions, ranging from broken fire alarms and ventilation systems to wild indoor temperature swings, were impeding research and endangering staff. Experts have warned that declining government investment in agricultural research threatens the U.S. position as a leading agricultural innovator. The investigation, ordered by the Office of Special Counsel in 2023, substantiated many of the whistleblower allegations and found "pervasive safety deficiencies," including excess grime, damaged flooring, mold and a lack of potable water, according to a letter sent from the OSC to President Donald Trump on Wednesday. The poor condition of the facility was caused by inadequate funding, understaffing, a lack of necessary tools and equipment and the absence of a maintenance plan, the letter said. The investigation did not find that the poor conditions were hindering research, the letter said. BARC workers told Reuters of incidents including a plumbing leak in 2022 that had ruined records and data and that issues such as inoperable fire alarms pulled staff time away from research to conduct fire patrols and other tasks. The agency has taken some corrective actions to address the issues, including hiring a new director for the facility and drafting a plan to move employees to fewer and more modernized buildings on the site, the letter said. Trump's administration has proposed to cut funds to USDA research agencies and the agency's research arm has lost hundreds of staff under efforts to shrink the cost and size of the federal government.
