USDA names Raleigh a key hub in major reorganization of its workforce
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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins speaks during a press conference on July 14 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
In a major reorganization of its Washington workforce, the U.S. Department of Agriculture named Raleigh one of five hubs where it will relocate much of its D.C. headquarters operations.
Why it matters: The move is part of the Trump administration's efforts to reduce spending within federal departments and "eliminate management layers and bureaucracy," U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said in a message.
- Rollins cited D.C.'s cost of living as driving up wages for USDA employees and said the move "bring[s] USDA closer to the people it serves while also providing a more affordable cost of living for USDA employees."
Driving the news: In a video message to employees, Rollins picked Raleigh; Indianapolis; Fort Collins, Colo.; Kansas City and Salt Lake City as markets where staff would be relocated.
- A spokesperson for USDA said the reorganization will begin in the coming months, but could "take more time to implement" fully.
- Raleigh already has a USDA presence, with a regional office on N.C. State's Centennial Campus.
- It's unclear how many employees would move to Raleigh, or how many might resign rather than move from D.C. The USDA spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about the local workforce.
- Staff will receive details about their new assignments in the coming months, Axios' Jason Lalljee reported.
Zoom in: The USDA has around 4,600 employees in the D.C. area, and the USDA expects no more than 2,000 to remain in D.C. after the reorganization.
- The agency has already seen a large number of departures in recent months, with more than 15,000 employees taking the Trump administration's offers to resign, Politico reported.
Flashback: In the first Trump administration, the Triangle was a finalist to land two research offices from the USDA, but the offices ultimately went to Kansas City.
What they're saying: The Raleigh Economic Development office said it was not involved in the effort to name Raleigh a USDA hub.
- But Kyle Touchstone, the director of the city's economic development arm, said the USDA would benefit from the presence of N.C. State, a strong agriculture and research school.
- "With our R&D capabilities, talent pool availability, proximity to the nation's capital and Raleigh's tremendous growth across numerous industry sectors, we're excited to see this hub designation for USDA," Touchstone said in an email.
State of play: Raleigh's cost of living is much cheaper than D.C., according to the government's federal salary locality rate, an adjustment the government adds to base pay depending on geographic location.
- D.C.'s locality rate is 33.9%, according to the USDA.
- Raleigh's, in comparison, was 22.2%, the second highest of the five named hubs.
- Fort Collins was the highest at 30.5%.