USDA to Move Much of FAS, Rural Development out of DC

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.”

Agri-Pulse’s Steve Davies and Noah Wicks reported that “in addition, USDA announced changes at the Agricultural Marketing Service, and said career Senior Executive Service member Kelly Moore, who has been acting administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, will become the permanent APHIS administrator.”

“‘Simultaneously, APHIS is implementing targeted changes to its Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program to strengthen national plant health leadership and unify policy and operational functions, enabling faster, more consistent responses to plant health issues and emerging threats,’ a USDA release said,” according to Davies and Wicks’ reporting. “‘All PPQ programs will continue without interruption and with no reduction in force nor movement of staff.'”

“In addition, ‘To enhance efficiency and better align with USDA priorities, AMS will reduce siloing in its Fair Trade Practices Program by moving commodity-specific functions to the appropriate AMS commodity or service programs,’ a USDA press release said,” according to Davies and Wicks’ reporting. “‘For example, oversight of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act will shift to the Specialty Crops Program, and the Packers and Stockyards Division will move to the Livestock and Poultry Program.’ There will be no reductions in force as a result of the AMS and APHIS changes, USDA said.”

Employees Who Decline Relocation Will Effectively Resign or Retire

Politico’s Shin reported that “employees who decline to relocate will effectively resign or retire, according to a list of FAQs on the reassignment plan obtained by Politico, though workers can remain employed until just days before their assigned date to report to their new location.”

Scoop: USDA is sharing more details about the sweeping reorganization that will move thousands of employees out of the D.C. region and making clear workers must relocate if ordered or forfeit their jobs

per 4 internal docs, including diagram below pic.twitter.com/OshwDhMmqC

— Rachel Shin (@rachel_shin_) June 17, 2026

“USDA is encouraging employees to make a swift decision about relocating upon receiving their reassignment letter,” Shin reported. “…People who decline to move may qualify for the same benefits as someone who exited the company due to a reduction in force, the FAQ says. That could include severance pay, discontinued service retirement and intra-agency hiring priority.”

“The FAQ says ‘all aspects of’ relocation must be completed within one year of the effective reassignment date,” Shin reported.