A new lawsuit has been filed by a consortium of unions, nonprofit organizations and local governments in an attempt to stop the Trump administration’s planned decentralization of the USDA federal offices, alleging that the relocation is an attempt to yet again downsize the agency’s workforce, which will in turn hamper the critical programs run through the USDA.
The initial announcement delivered by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins July 24, 2025, claimed that the relocation proposal is an effort to “reduce bureaucracy and strengthen USDA’s presence in key agricultural regions across the country” by dispersing approximately 2,600 Washington-based positions to five regional hubs: Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah.
However, internal planning documents that have recently been made public have been submitted to a U.S. district court in California as additional evidence against the USDA move. According to a report from E&E News, the documents state that the reorganization was intended to reduce the USDA’s workforce “by approximately 23,177 which is a 23% overall reduction.” Additionally, officials expected that “a significant number of employees will decline geographic reassignments.” The report further shares that thousands of USDA employees took buyout offers last year, and unions have warned that of the employees who declined buyout offers, most would likely also decline offers to relocate.
Additionally, a statement from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), one of the leading plaintiffs in the lawsuit, claims that the USDA sought authorization for the reorganization plan through the budget process for fiscal 2026. In addition to rejecting that proposal, Congress additionally directed the USDA not to take actions restructuring the agency or downsizing staff without further congressional approval. Despite the USDA not receiving any approval from Congress, the USDA began rolling out its relocation plans in April of this year, issuing reassignments to employees and instructing them to report to the new locations by fall 2026. AFGE alleges these actions implemented by the USDA “have harmed and will continue to harm USDA employees impacted by the restructuring and the farmers, families and communities who rely on them to execute USDA’s mission.” AFGE and sister union the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) are lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit which, with the new complaint filed July 1, brings the total number of plaintiffs up to 31.
Trump declines USMCA extension
The Trump administration announced July 1 that the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal will not receive an extension unless it receives some significant changes. The deal, which officially went into effect July 1, 2020, will expire in 2036. “The United States did not agree to renew the USMCA in its current form,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement. “As a result, the USMCA is not renewed. The United States will continue to engage with Mexico and Canada to address the agreement’s shortcomings and our trade deficits with these countries.”
Greer added that this decision was not a surprise, in light of the growing U.S. goods trade deficits with Mexico and Canada that reached $197 billion and $48.3 billion in 2025, respectively.
The first round of negotiations for changes to the trade deal are planned to take place in Mexico in late July. A trade official said the priorities for the U.S. include strengthening North American rules of origin for autos and other industrial goods and economic security to keep other countries, including China, from benefiting from USMCA access. No mention was made regarding the battle against New World screwworm or resuming imports of live cattle from Mexico.
Ag industry stakeholders are supportive of an extension of USMCA, since Mexico and Canada collectively purchase more than a third of U.S. ag exports. “USMCA is without a doubt critical to the livelihood of farmers, fishers and rural communities across the country who rely on exports to Mexico and Canada, and to obtain key inputs used in U.S. farming operations,” said Bryan Goodman, a spokesperson for the Agricultural Coalition for USMCA. “We are encouraged by the negotiations already underway and urge all three countries to continue making progress towards a renewed and strengthened agreement.”
