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1h ago

GAO Finds USDA Lacked Documentation for Wide Employee Relocations

The report matters because it shows Congress lacks the data needed to judge whether the relocations will harm services or waste taxpayer money.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins addresses members of the media at a press conference following a briefing on the New World screwworm at the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville, Texas, U.S. June 8, 2026. REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee/File Photo
US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks with reporters at the White House in Washington, DC, US, November 3, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks with reporters at the White House in Washington, DC, US, November 3, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins challenged GAO’s findings as a partisan attack on its reorganization plans.

Overview

  • The Government Accountability Office report, released Monday, concluded USDA did not provide analyses showing how its July 2025 plan to move roughly 2,600 employees would affect service delivery, local economies, or property costs.
  • USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins disputed the findings and called the review politicized while GAO appended annotations defending its nonpartisan methods.
  • A federal judge in October issued a stay that now blocks the department from carrying out relocations after unions sued over funding and process concerns.
  • USDA has already sent about 725 relocation notices and its headquarters-area workforce fell about 20% between December 2024 and March 2026, increasing the risk of staff losses if moves proceed.
  • Farmers and county office users say reduced staffing has already affected access to loans and conservation help, and Congress and courts are now the main venues for determining whether the plan can resume.