More than 15,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees have accepted voluntary resignation offers from the Trump administration, dramatically shrinking the agency responsible for food safety, farm loans, rural broadband, and nutrition programs, according to a USDA briefing shared with POLITICO.
The numbers include 3,877 employees from an initial resignation program in January and another 11,305 from a second round, with additional resignations still possible. The initiative allows employees to quit but remain on payroll through September, which will still save taxpayers money in the long run.
USDA spokesperson Seth Christensen confirmed the figures and blamed the Biden administration for overstaffing.
“President Biden and Secretary Vilsack left USDA in complete disarray, including hiring thousands of employees with no sustainable way to pay them,” Christensen said.
“Secretary Rollins is working to reorient the department to be more effective and efficient at serving the American people, including by prioritizing farmers, ranchers, and producers. She will not compromise the critical work of the Department,” Christensen continued.
The 15,000 departures represent only 15% of USDA’s workforce. The administration is reportedly targeting up to 30,000 job cuts through future reduction-in-force plans.
The exodus affects major divisions. The Food Safety and Inspection Service is losing 555 workers. Over 1,000 staffers from the Farm Service Agency and county offices are also departing, even after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said those resignations would be rejected. Another 2,408 are exiting the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Forest Service saw the largest decline, with more than 4,000 employees leaving. The Trump administration intends to cut its budget and shift wildfire responsibilities to a new federal agency by 2026.
Despite a hiring freeze, Rollins plans to continue recruitment for 53 roles, citing national security priorities.
