USDA to slash headquarters, other staff and relocate some to new 'hubs' around the country
Source: Government Executive
USDA to slash headquarters, other staff and relocate some to new 'hubs' around the country
Mass layoffs at the Agriculture Department coming within weeks, with Washington facing significant cuts but regional employees also seeing reductions.
ERIC KATZ | APRIL 7, 2025 07:13 PM ET
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The Agriculture Department is planning to dismantle its presence in Washington, D.C., according to several officials briefed on the plans, and will relocate those it does not lay off to three hubs around the country.
The locations for those new offices have not yet been determined, senior officials throughout the department have told employees in recent days, but the shakeup will impact thousands of headquarters staff. USDA is expected to offload one of its two Washington headquarters buildings, according to two employees familiar with the matter.
The relocations will accompany widespread layoffs at the department, according to four officials made aware of the plans, though the exact number is not yet clear. Those cuts are expected in late April or early May. Some employees have been told to expect the department to cut back to fiscal 2019 staffing levels—which would lead to USDA slashing around 9,000 of its 98,000 employees—while others have been told there is a an overall federal workforce reduction number the administration has developed and the department will do its part proportionally to meet that target.
The department did not respond to a request for comment but previewed these types of changes on Secretary Brooke Rollins’ first day in office.
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Read more: https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/04/usda-slash-headquarters-other-staff-and-relocate-some-new-hubs-around-country/404371/
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