By Leah Douglas
WASHINGTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - The US Department of Agriculture did not provide documentation showing it analyzed potential harms from its agency-wide reorganization, which lacked transparency, according to a report from a federal watchdog agency on Monday.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has aimed to move about half of the USDA's Washington, DC-area employees to hubs around the country as part of the Trump administration's sweeping effort to overhaul the federal government.
Here are more details from the Government Accountability Office report:
• The USDA did not respond to repeated GAO requests for analysis of the reorganization's impacts, according to the report. The GAO is a nonpartisan federal watchdog agency that examines government spending.
• The lack of information means little transparency for Congress and the public about how the USDA weighed the reorganization's impact on agency functions and finances, the report said.
• The USDA workforce decreased 20% from December 2024 through March 2026, from about 91,000 employees to about 73,000, the report said. Many of those departures were tied to federal worker cuts spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency.
• Farmers have expressed concern that the reorganization has led to lower staffing at county USDA offices, where they can receive support for loan and conservation programs.
• In a September 30 letter to the GAO included in the report, Rollins said she deliberated for months on how to approach the reorganization and called the GAO report "partisan shenanigans."
• A federal judge in October blocked the agency from proceeding with the reorganization, ruling for federal worker unions that had sued to stop it.
• The GAO report was requested by Democratic Representative Angie Craig and Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar.
(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Nia Williams)