USDA Faces Staffing Challenges Amid Deferred Resignation Program
In an effort to reshape its workforce, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now actively seeking to fill critical positions. This comes after the agency paid salaries and benefits to over 15,000 employees through September in return for their resignations.
During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins emphasized the urgency of recruiting new staff, stating, “We are actively looking and recruiting to fill those positions that are integral to the efforts and the key frontlines.”
The USDA is among several agencies that have utilized the deferred resignation program, initially offering it to the federal workforce in late January and again in April. This approach is part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to reduce the size of the federal workforce.
However, the decision to hire new employees soon after the resignation of many has sparked concerns among lawmakers. Senator Patty Murray questioned the logic of the move, asking, “So you let people go and you’re looking for new people to fill the positions that they had experience in?”
Rollins acknowledged the challenge, explaining that while 15,000 employees represent less than 15% of the USDA’s workforce, the department typically loses 8,000 to 10,000 employees annually due to attrition. She also extended an invitation for some former employees to return if they were in key positions.
According to NPR reports, just a day after USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) employees left, the agency began seeking applicants for 73 positions, some of which were newly vacant. An anonymous employee, who felt pressured into resigning due to layoff warnings, expressed frustration upon learning their position was listed.
At the hearing, Rollins admitted to some missteps but insisted no key position employees were accepted in the second round of the program. “We are very intentionally approaching this. Have we done it perfectly? No,” she stated, adding that the department is making significant progress in realigning its workforce.
On Wednesday, Rollins denied that any APHIS employees were included in the April deferred resignation round, contradicting accounts from some employees. An APHIS employee, under anonymity due to fear of retaliation, described the chaotic scene of IT staff managing returned equipment from departing colleagues.
Armando Rosario-Lebron, a vice president with the National Association of Agriculture Employees, suggested that several hundred members may have accepted the resignation offer in April. USDA has not yet responded to inquiries about the discrepancy between Rollins’ testimony and the employees’ reports.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
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