By Ryan Hanrahan
Politico’s Rachel Shin and Grace Yarrow reported that “the Agriculture Department is starting to roll out details for Washington-area workers facing relocation and reorganization orders, according to announcements released Wednesday.”
“USDA will establish an ‘operational support hub’ for its Foreign Agricultural Service in Kansas City, Missouri, moving most of its capital-area employees to the station,” Shin and Yarrow reported. “Many Rural Development agency workers will be asked to move to two hubs in St. Louis or the Dallas-Fort Worth area, while some will remain in Washington to handle congressional outreach and interagency needs, according to the announcement.”
“The department also announced reorganization plans for its Farm Production and Conservation mission area, which is already largely based out of offices across the country and handles much of the department’s farmer-facing work,” Shin and Yarrow reported. “FPAC workers in the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Risk Management Agency were notified that their agencies will undergo ‘organizational improvements’ but were not given specific relocation orders.”
“Our promise to the American people requires us to make tough but necessary decisions – including ending wasteful spending on underused facilities and modernizing organizational structures that don’t fit today’s needs,” USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden said in a news release. “By acting now, we’re positioning the Foreign Agricultural Service – and the entire department – to continue serving the American people for generations to come.”
Source : illinois.edu