USDA is planning on moving forward with its plan to reorganize the department and relocate thousands of staff members outside of the nation’s capital.
In a recent webinar hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center, USDA Deputy Under Secretary Stephen Vaden confirmed the agency is working on office leases and is set to relocate employees during the summer, Meatingplace reported.
Last summer, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced more than 2,500 employees would be relocated from the Washington D.C. office to five regional offices in Raleigh, NC; Kansas City, MO; Indianapolis, IN; Fort Collins, CO; and Salt Lake City, UT.
Following a public comment period about the relocation, USDA reported more than 80% of public comments were negative about the proposal. However, Vaden said USDA had “no choice” but to carry out the plan, citing shrinking budgets and increased costs of living.
“We at USDA can take advantage of their expertise for decades in the future and have them in places that are actually closer to the communities we are charged with serving,” he said.
