Hoosier Ag Today 

Report: USDA Cutting More Jobs, Moving Many Operations out of DC

Kevin
.
A sign in front of the Jamie L. Whitten Federal Building in Washington, D.C., which currently serves as the headquarters for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Photo courtesy of USDA.

USDA is planning to cut thousands of additional jobs and will be moving many of their operations away from their headquarters in Washington, D.C. to three hubs around the U.S., according to Government Executive.

The locations for USDA’s new hubs have not yet been announced, but the dismantling of their Washington headquarters will impact thousands of USDA employees. The agency is also shutting down one of its two Washington headquarters buildings according to that same news report.

USDA employees have been told they are no longer allowed to work remotely. In addition, those workers who are not terminated and live more than 50 miles from one of the new hubs will have to relocate.

Those jobs cuts are expected either later this month or early May.

Roughly 6,000 USDA employees—many of whom were probationary workers who had been with the department for a short period of time—were terminated in mid-February following a review from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). However, the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board issued a 45-day stay which allowed many employees to temporarily return to work. That stay is set to expire on Friday, April 18.

Source: Government Executive.