USDA opens comment period on department reorganization

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced the opening of a 30-day public comment period for stakeholders to provide feedback on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s reorganization plan, as outlined in the secretary’s memorandum issued on July 24, 2025.

“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. We value your perspective as we work to ensure that USDA is best positioned to serve America’s farmers, ranchers, producers, and rural communities,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins.

“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.”

The USDA says that the reorganization proposal reflects Trump’s commitment to relocate federal agencies beyond the national capital region, reduce bureaucracy, and strengthen the USDA’s presence in key agricultural regions across the country. 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, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; Indianapolis; Fort Collins, Colo.; and Salt Lake City. Governors in those states have the decision.

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.

All stakeholders, including USDA employees, members of Congress, and agricultural and nutrition partners, are encouraged to provide feedback by emailing [email protected]. The comment period is open through August 26, 2025.

»Related: Perspective: Rollins fails to grasp the needs of those in ag