USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins is relocating over half of the agency’s Washington, D.C.-based workforce to field offices around the country. The move is meant to cut costs and put federal employees closer to the farmers, ranchers, and producers they serve.
Key Facts:
- USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that up to 2,600 employees will move from Washington, D.C., to regional hub offices across the U.S.
- The USDA workforce grew by 8% in the past four years, with salaries increasing 14.5%, creating an unsustainable budget strain.
- The agency criticized its D.C. footprint as underused, overspent, and mismanaged over decades.
- New hub locations include Indianapolis, Salt Lake City, Fort Collins, Kansas City, and Raleigh.
- The USDA will vacate several facilities including the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland.
The Rest of The Story:
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is pushing forward a bold restructuring of the USDA.
On Thursday, she announced that more than half of the agency’s 4,600 Washington, D.C.-based employees will be relocated to field offices around the country.
The shift is meant to realign the department’s focus and bring decision-makers closer to the agricultural producers they support.
In recent years, the USDA has grown significantly.
According to the department, staffing rose by 8%, and average salaries increased by 14.5%, adding thousands of employees “with no sustainable way to pay them.”
Yet despite the growth, agency leaders say there has been “no tangible increase in service” to core stakeholders in the farming sector.
The USDA also criticized its own infrastructure in D.C., describing the facilities as “underutilized and redundant, plagued by rampant overspending and decades of mismanagement and costly deferred maintenance.”
Officials plan to reduce the National Capital Region headcount to around 2,000 employees.
Relocating to regional hubs is expected to bring cost savings, particularly in salaries.
The federal government pays a 34% locality bonus in D.C., while the bonus in the hub cities ranges from 17% to just over 30%.
The selected hubs—Indianapolis, Salt Lake City, Fort Collins, Kansas City, and Raleigh—will host most of the transferred staff.
The USDA will also vacate its Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland and is reevaluating the need for several other buildings and facilities.
These efforts are part of a broader strategy to trim costs and streamline operations.
@POTUS 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:
– Raleigh, NC
– Kansas City, MO
– Indianapolis, IN
– Fort Collins, CO
– Salt Lake City, UT— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) July 24, 2025
Commentary:
This is the kind of practical reform Washington rarely delivers.
Instead of growing government for the sake of bureaucracy, Secretary Rollins is taking meaningful action to refocus USDA priorities on service and efficiency.
It’s a rare example of government trimming the fat and turning back toward its mission.
Moving USDA employees out of D.C. is more than a financial decision. It’s a philosophical one.
Agencies like the USDA should live closer to the people they serve—not tucked away in the beltway echo chamber.
For too long, federal departments have ballooned in cost and size without corresponding improvements in service.
The USDA’s admission that its workforce grew with no measurable impact on its core mission is damning—and honest.
That honesty is refreshing, and the solution makes sense.
Relocation to agricultural regions like Kansas City and Fort Collins makes logical sense for an agency that exists to support farming, ranching, and food production.
These cities offer proximity to real-world agricultural concerns, not just policy meetings.
There’s also a cultural value in putting USDA employees among the communities they work for.
It will likely improve feedback, increase responsiveness, and foster more grounded decision-making.
This move should serve as a model for other federal agencies.
Whether it’s the EPA, HHS, or the Department of Education, many would benefit from being physically closer to the people they’re supposed to serve.
Washington, D.C., for all its power, is not known for productivity. It’s a city thick with red tape, insulated from consequence.
Getting federal workers out of that environment can only improve their understanding of the real-world impact of their work.
In fact, decentralization of the federal workforce should be considered more broadly.
There’s no reason most agencies need to remain in the most expensive, disconnected city in America.
We applaud Secretary Rollins for making a decision rooted in logic, savings, and better public service.
Let’s hope it catches on.
The Bottom Line:
The USDA’s decision to move thousands of D.C.-based employees to regional hubs is a smart, long-overdue change.
It promises cost savings, better service delivery, and a stronger connection between federal workers and the agricultural communities they serve.
By stepping away from the bureaucracy of the capital, the department is leading by example—prioritizing efficiency and mission over political proximity.
It’s the kind of common-sense reform taxpayers have been waiting for.
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