USDA asks employees to transfer to 'critical' vacancies, suggests more cuts coming

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is asking employees to fill critical positions that were recently vacated after incentivizing staff to leave, as part of broader workforce reductions. Agency leadership informed employees that further cuts are planned, but these specific vacancies are essential for mission delivery, such as roles for soil conservationists.

Since January, NRCS has reduced its workforce by nearly 2,400 employees, representing over 20% of its staff, with a hiring freeze in effect until at least October 15. The agency plans to continue reducing staffing levels to below those of December 2019 before resuming hiring, after which staffing will be capped at that December 2019 level indefinitely.

This follows a USDA-wide deferred resignation program that led to about 16,000 departures, allowing employees paid leave before exiting in September. NRCS is now the second USDA component, after the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in May, to seek lateral transfers to backfill critical roles. The Supreme Court recently lifted an injunction that had blocked USDA from implementing widespread layoffs, enabling the department to proceed with workforce reductions.

In discussions about internal transfer opportunities, NRCS leadership cited USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins' earlier comments on "optimizing and reducing the size of its workforce to become more efficient." This includes relocating many employees out of the Washington region, consolidating redundant functions, eliminating unnecessary management layers, and offloading office space.

Employees expressed skepticism and low morale, noting that the agency implied their jobs could be at risk if they do not apply for transfers, while emphasizing that transfers offer no future job protection. Few are expected to take the offers seriously unless there are personal benefits like improved work-life balance, as morale is already depleted.

NRCS is focusing on filling specialist positions, but employees raised concerns that recent mass firings of newer hires and incentivized exits of experienced staff have created a gap, leaving no younger talent to replace departing workers. One employee described the transfer solicitation as a sign that initial workforce reductions were "ill-advised at best."

Employees can apply for up to three critical vacancies, with decisions made by state-level NRCS officials or their deputies. However, USDA will not offer pay retention, grade increases, or relocation expenses, though it will try to match current salaries. Applicants for Washington-based roles were warned they might face mandatory relocation later.

Staffing cuts have already caused operational issues, such as increased workloads—one employee now covers 10 counties instead of four—and the loss of key expertise, including Geographic Information System specialists critical for mapping-dependent tasks. This has reduced capacity for programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which helps farmers improve environmental outcomes, leading to fewer application approvals.