USDA Plans Move From DC to Regional Agriculture Hubs

By R. Scott Nolen

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants to reduce the USDA footprint in the Washington, D.C., area by relocating approximately 2,600 positions from D.C. to key agricultural regions across the country, while also consolidating operations and realigning its workforce.

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the agency’s reorganization plan in a July 24 memorandum with stated aims of “improving effectiveness and accountability within the USDA while also reducing bureaucracy and cutting costs.”

“President Donald 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,” Rollins said in a press release. “We will do so through a transparent and common-sense process that preserves USDA’s critical health and public safety services the American public relies on.”