A 30-day public comment period is currently under way for anyone interested in commenting on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s reorganization plan, as outlined in Ag Secretary Booke L. Rollins’ memorandum on July 24.
All stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback by emailing reorganization@usda.gov. The comment period concludes on Aug. 26.
As part of the plan, the USDA will consolidate operations, close the South Building and relocate approximately 2,600 Washington-based positions to five regional hubs; Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah.
“As committed, we are continuing to hear stakeholder feedback on the USDA Reorganization. All stakeholders – including Capitol Hill offices, USDA employees and members of the agricultural community – are encouraged to share their input during the open comment period,” Rollins said. “We value your perspective as we work to ensure that USDA is best positioned to serve America’s farmers, ranchers, producers and rural communities.”
The USDA is conducting the reorganization under its authority established in the Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1953 (5 U.S.C. app.; 7 U.S.C. 2201 note) and The Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-354). The secretarial memorandum delegates authority to the Deputy Secretary and underscores USDA’s focus on efficiency, geographic diversity and long-term sustainability.
“President Trump made clear his second term would include relocating the sprawling federal bureaucracy to locations outside the National Capital region,” Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden said in his Capitol Hill testimony on July 30, 2025. “The department’s July 24 memorandum begins to deliver on this promise and does so in a way that right-sizes the USDA footprint, eliminates unnecessary management layers, consolidates redundant or duplicative functions, and, most importantly, allows USDA to deliver on its mission to the American people within the bounds of its available financial resources.”
Source: USDA