The Department of Agricutlure (USDA) will look a little more lean and mean later in 2025 after thousands of its employees have taken President Trump up on an offer to join the government’s deferred resignation program, something that a spokesman for the agency confirmed in an email to Politico on Saturday.
What these “deferred resignations” mean is the employees told the USDA that they would begin an immediate voluntary leave, with the understanding that their position will be severed later in 2025. It’s clearer when looking at a X missive from someone who said they’re among those in that cohort:
With a heavy heart, I am sharing that I have taken the USDA deferred resignation program. Soon I will go on administrative leave and “retire” later this year.
— Dr. Brian Lovett (@lovettbr) April 8, 2025
[Side note: There is a thread that begins with that post, if you’re inclined to read it.]
Politico reported that it got the scoop after obtaining a readout of briefing documents meant for Congressional staffers:
At least 15,000 Agriculture Department employees have taken the Trump administration’s offers to resign, according to a readout of a USDA briefing with congressional staff that was shared with POLITICO.
The departures represent a drastic contraction of a department that handles a diverse portfolio including flagship federal nutrition programs, food safety, farm loans and rural broadband initiatives.
Seth Christensen, the USDA spokesperson, confirmed the latest resignation numbers to Politico, writing in a statement:
“President Biden and Secretary Vilsack left USDA in complete disarray, including hiring thousands of employees with no sustainable way to pay them,” he wrote in a statement. “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.”
The report on the 11,000 additional resignations follows up on the publication’s Apr. 1 story from journalist Marcia Brown, who at the time shared on her X account: “The Agriculture Department sent emails to all employees late Monday [Mar. 31] asking if they wanted to quit,” adding, “[i]t’s the second time USDA has offered a ‘deferred resignation program.'”
Indeed. When the administration first offered it back in Jan., “just 3,877 USDA employees signed up for” the program. Politico goes on to report the entire reduction is expected to reach up to 30,000 employees; it would be a cut of “roughly 15 percent of the department’s overall workforce.”
Here are some of the reported resignations, by division (estimated):
- Food and Nutrition Service: 498
- National Agricultural Statistics Service: 243
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: 1,300
- U.S. Forest Service: 4,000
(The departure numbers for several other divisions were also reported, but I left any out that were fewer than 100 resignations.)
Before I close, here’s another one of the USDA people who lingered after the offer then decided to hate-quit in Feb.:
👀🚨BREAKING: Jim Jones, Head of the FDA’s Food Division, just resigned to protest President Trump’s mass firings. pic.twitter.com/e9s0jcE6KM
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) February 18, 2025
All in all, the news on this seem like more winning for Team Trump. And as I said, there’s more like this on the way just at this one department.
Secretary Brooke Rollins, meanwhile, has shared a look ahead at May, focused on America’s farmers:
Big things ahead this May 👀 — farmers first, always. https://t.co/P72nDRF7Jo
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) May 3, 2025
[Correction: This article was corrected after publication to reflect that about 11,000 employees are taking the new resignation offer, in addition to the previous 4,000. The total is about 15,000. We regret the error.]
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