Reuters' Leah Douglas reported that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has terminated thousands of employees across various agencies as part of a broader Trump administration effort to reduce the federal workforce. The firings, which primarily targeted probationary employees in their first or second year of federal service, have sent shockwaves through the department and raised concerns about the impact on agricultural services.
The job cuts affected multiple USDA agencies, including the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Economic Research Service (ERS).
Politico's Marcia Brown reported that the recent layoffs have also affected critical disease response capabilities. The National Animal Health Laboratory Network, responsible for coordinating responses to animal disease outbreaks, saw 25% of its central program office staff terminated. This reduction is expected to slow testing and response efforts for the ongoing H5N1 avian influenza outbreak, which has already killed more than 100 million birds since 2022 and spread to dairy cattle in multiple states.
The USDA has framed the terminations as part of a workforce optimization plan, which also includes bringing employees back to the office and relocating some out of the Washington, D.C. area. The department has also terminated contracts worth over $132 million and is reviewing more than 1,000 additional contracts for potential termination. The full extent of the workforce reduction and its long-term effects on USDA operations remain to be seen.
