The Trump administration is once again trying to move thousands of employees from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) out of Washington, D.C., by making them relocate to other cities if they want to keep their jobs. This approach is very similar to what happened during Trump’s first term, and it had long-lasting negative effects on staff morale and the agency’s ability to do its work.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the department will reduce its workforce in the D.C. area from around 4,600 to fewer than 2,000 employees. Most USDA buildings in the region, including an important research center, will be shut down. Workers will be transferred to new “hub” offices in cities like Raleigh, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Fort Collins, and Salt Lake City.
In a video message to USDA staff, Rollins admitted that this move would disrupt employees’ lives and their families but insisted the decision wasn’t made lightly. She claimed the relocation will help the department better serve its original purpose of supporting farmers, ranchers, and forest workers.
However, many people disagree. Everett Kelley, who leads the union representing USDA employees, said the plan will harm the agency’s ability to do its job. He pointed out that most federal workers already live outside the D.C. area, but D.C. is still the best place for government workers to coordinate with national leaders and have a say in important decisions.
He also criticized the closure of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland, calling it one of the most valuable research facilities in the country. Kelley believes this reorganization is really just another attempt to shrink the USDA and weaken its work.
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. In 2019, the Trump administration moved two USDA agencies to Kansas City. Officials said it would save money and connect the agency more closely to rural America. But in reality, it led to low morale and a wave of resignations. Many experienced workers chose to quit rather than uproot their families. A USDA economist later said the move felt more like a hidden mass layoff than anything else. Because so many specialists left suddenly, entire research projects were abandoned, and the agency struggled to replace that lost knowledge.
Despite the backlash, Rollins defended the new plan, saying it reflects President Trump’s commitment to “shake up” Washington by moving government work into cities across the country.
This proposal also fits into a larger trend. Since returning to power, the Trump administration has been working hard to push federal workers out. In many cases, they’ve used questionable methods to fire them, offered early retirements, or made working conditions so difficult that people chose to leave. Earlier this year, over 15,000 USDA workers accepted a deal known as “deferred resignation,” where they agreed to leave their jobs later. So many signed up that agency leaders had to ask some people to reconsider because it risked harming food safety, farming programs, and critical research.
In short, the administration says it’s reorganizing the USDA to better serve the country, but many see it as a strategy to cut the government workforce and weaken federal agencies from the inside.
