Rollins made the announcement in a video message, stressing that she did not make the decision lightly by any stretch of the imagination. However, she said she has made it clear from the beginning that “We must reorient this department to better serve the American people and to return to our core mission of serving America’s farmers, ranchers, foresters and producers.”
“President Trump promised to realign federal spending, eliminate duplication and redundancy, and ensure all agencies are efficiently and effectively delivering services to our constituents,” she began before making the big announcement.
“Of course, here at USDA, the farmer, the rancher, the forester and the American taxpayer, we are doing just that by moving our key offices services outside Washington DC, to ensure that USDA is located closer to the people we serve, while also providing a more affordable cost of living for our employees and their families,” she said, emphasizing that this is not a large-scale workforce reduction but fundamental “reorganization.”
She explained that they have crafted a “phased plan” to relocate many of the USDA D.C. workforce to five hub locations across the country, all “while shedding a number of leases and buildings in the national capital region.”
Rollins identified the five hub locations as Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah. She also listed several D.C. office spaces USDA will be vacating altogether, identifying just two offices the federal agency will be keeping.
Rollins noted that the vast majority of USDA employees are already located outside of D.C., but she said this move “continues to best position USDA closer to our core constituents.”
“We will carry out this reorganization through a transparent, common sense process that preserves USDA critical health and public safety services that the American public relies on,” she promised.
“We are embarking on a new chapter that will improve our service to the great patriotic farmers, ranchers, and producers that we are mandated to support,” she said, noting that they understand the gravity of this decision and the impact it will have on D.C. employees.
“I understand this news today perhaps creates some personal disruption for some of you and your families, but I want to make sure this transition over the coming months is as smooth and as minimally disruptive as possible,” she said, reminding employees that “moving out of the capital area in no way lessens that importance.”
“We recognize each employee has unique circumstances to consider, and any decisions you pursue are personal and yours alone, but we stand ready to serve you, to help you through this process, and I sincerely hope you will consider staying part of our USDA team as we move into this exciting next chapter of this story department,” she added.
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This announcement also comes on the heels of Rollins announcing the rollout of the National Farm Security Action Plan, slated to “promote agricultural prosperity” and “defend the foundations of agriculture” and strengthen the U.S. domestic food supply.
Speaking to Breitbart News during a policy event in May, Rollins declared that it is a “new day” in America as the Trump administration works to address the world economy and “put America first.”
Breitbart News
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