Story perspectives

USDA Orders DC Staff to Relocate or Quit by July

6/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

USDA ordered D.C. employees to choose relocation or resignation, with Food and Nutrition Service staff required to decide by July 8.
Union polls show roughly eight-in-ten of those staff would rather resign than move, with Secretary Brooke Rollins saying the relocations will add value by moving researchers out of Washington.
The USDA’s lump-sum moving payment may leave employees paying thousands while staff fell 30-40 % (about 20,000 workers) between Jan 2025 and Jan 2026.

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Story summary

USDA ordered D.C. employees to choose relocation or resignation, with Food and Nutrition Service staff required to decide by July 8.
Union polls show roughly eight-in-ten of those staff would rather resign than move, with Secretary Brooke Rollins saying the relocations will add value by moving researchers out of Washington.
The USDA’s lump-sum moving payment may leave employees paying thousands while staff fell 30-40 % (about 20,000 workers) between Jan 2025 and Jan 2026.