WASHINGTON (DTN) -- Labor unions and nonprofit organizations challenging the Trump administration's USDA reorganization have filed another motion for a preliminary injunction, seeking to stop the relocation of 2,600 Washington-based employees, with the process beginning this summer.
The July 1 motion asks the court to halt USDA's reorganization and restructuring actions while litigation continues, citing recently implemented office relocations and workforce reductions that plaintiffs argue are intended to force mass resignations and unlawfully downsize the department.
The filing also revealed internal 2025 USDA planning documents that plaintiffs say confirm the agency knew relocation plans would cause significant workforce reductions, despite publicly stating otherwise -- specifically, a reduction of 23,177 employees, or roughly 23% of its staff.
"USDA is anticipating that a significant number of employees will decline geographic reassignments out of the (National Capital Region) or existing regional or state offices to the five target hub locations," the USDA's Agency RIF and Reorganization Plan said.
The plaintiffs in AFGE v. Trump are the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and several other trade and environmental organizations -- which argue USDA cannot pursue such a broad restructuring and downsizing effort without congressional authorization -- an argument they previously raised before the Supreme Court in Trump v. Slaughter and lost.
They note Congress expressly rejected the department's requests during the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process.
The preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for Aug. 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division. If granted, it could temporarily halt some or all USDA reorganization actions while the lawsuit proceeds.
Politico reported earlier this month that all relocation activities are expected to be completed within one year of each employee's effective reassignment date. Employees who decline to relocate will effectively resign or retire.
"This administration is trying to gut the agency that helps farmers stay in business and puts food on working families' tables so it can hand out even more tax cuts to billionaires," said AFSCME President Lee Saunders.
FARMERS WATCH FOR SERVICE DISRUPTIONS
While relocations have yet to fully affect all USDA operations, employees across several agencies are now deciding whether to relocate or leave federal service. At the same time, formal Reductions in Force (RIFs) have already led to significant staffing losses across mission areas, including farmer-facing Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices, impacting farmers' ability to receive services.
See, "USDA Blames Closed Offices on Departed Employees and Budget Constraints," https://www.dtnpf.com/….
Farmers this summer now experience appointment-only service, reduced hours, delayed EQIP approvals or closed offices.
Just last week, DTN received a copy of a letter sent to farmers in Poweshiek County, Iowa, explaining that their local FSA office would effectively move to appointments-only one day a week and farmer records in Poweshiek County would be split among four surrounding FSA county offices. USDA cited the change was being driven due "to limited staffing resources and adjust to nationwide budget constraints."
DTN is currently collecting these stories and experiences from producers.
USDA leadership has sought to separate the reorganization from the RIF process, but plaintiffs argue the two efforts are connected.
In their memorandum ahead of the preliminary injunction hearing, plaintiffs argued USDA's reorganization plan was intended to reduce the agency's workforce, despite the department's public statements to the contrary. They allege USDA is "obscuring the real purpose of its reorganization and keeping the ARRP hidden from the public" while its "actual goal is to radically downsize the agency's workforce."
USDA has defended its actions in letters to members of Congress, arguing the effort "will restore agency flexibility to be responsive to the needs of American people, all while operating within the financial bounds set by Congress."
LEGAL HISTORY
The legal challenge began in April 2025 after a coalition sued over President Trump's Feb. 11 executive order directing federal agencies to develop workforce reduction and reorganization plans, arguing it exceeded executive authority by bypassing Congress.
A federal district court initially blocked the reorganization, but the U.S. Supreme Court paused that injunction in July 2025, allowing the administration to proceed while litigation continued.
Until spring 2026, USDA was also barred from additional workforce reductions by court orders and later by a congressional prohibition that expired April 30, 2026.
Since then, USDA has begun implementing the reorganization.
-- Food and Nutrition Administration employees were notified in April that they must relocate to Indianapolis.
-- Food Safety and Inspection Service employees received notices in late June directing them to move to regional offices in Iowa and Georgia, with decisions due June 30.
-- National Institute of Food and Agriculture employees received relocation letters Monday giving them 30 days to decide whether to move to Kansas City, while National Agricultural Statistics Service employees received similar notices for St. Louis.
-- The Forest Service has announced plans to relocate its headquarters to Salt Lake City and research leadership to Fort Collins, Colorado, though broader relocation orders have not yet been issued.
Polling by the National Treasury Employees Union found that 80% of Food and Nutrition Administration employees in Washington, D.C., would rather resign than relocate this summer.
USDA had no further comment on the pending litigation.
CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT
Congress has continued pushing back against the reorganization. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., has led multiple letters to USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden expressing concerns about relocating employees across several mission areas.
USDA responded with statements that it is moving forward.
But Jules Torti, counsel at Protect Democracy and lead counsel on the suit, said, "Congress created federal agencies to serve the interests of the American people -- not of one man. The President simply does not have the authority to unilaterally reorganize and change our government without Congress's involvement."
USDA's Agency RIF and Reorganization Plan also provide rationale for why farmers are seeing reduced field staff at FSA and NRCS. The "first step in the plan to unwind the excesses of the Biden administration and prioritize an efficient workforce structure and level," it said.
This refers to unwinding Inflation Reduction Act-funded resources tied to 2,341 NRCS positions, which bipartisan members of Congress questioned NRCS Chief Richard Fordyce about during a hearing last month.
USDA can reduce thousands of NRCS positions by relying more heavily on mandatory funding sources that now have a reduced cap while reducing reliance on discretionary appropriations.
NRCS has historically relied on discretionary Conservation Operations funding to support much of its technical assistance workforce, which it now seeks to offload. Three former USDA officials who've spoken with DTN on the agreement of anonymity have said this shift aligns with "privatizing conservation" in the agency.
The latest congressional effort to preserve USDA services focuses on local FSA and NRCS offices, while judicial action handles the legality of the reorganization itself.
Reps. Derek Schmidt, R-Kan., and Sharice Davids, D-Kan., introduced the USDA Field Office Stability Act, which would prevent the closure or relocation of USDA field offices serving farmers, ranchers and rural communities.
"Farmers and rural communities shouldn't have to worry about whether the USDA office they depend on will still be there or properly staffed when they need help," said Rep. Davids.
See the USDA Field Office Stability Act: https://schmidt.house.gov/…
AFGE lawsuit announcement and filed documents: https://www.afge.org/…
Read, "Move or Leave: USDA Employees Hit With Relocation Orders Across Agencies," https://www.dtnpf.com/…
Newly released discovery documents of USDA reorganization plans and intent from 2025: https://storage.courtlistener.com/…
Jake Zajkowski can be reached at Jake.Zajkowski@dtn.com
Follow him on social platform X @jzajkow
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