Thousands of employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) accepted the Trump administration’s voluntary resignation offer, leading to a significant reduction in force.
The decrease accounts for about 15 percent of the total workforce at the department which regulates food quality, agriculture development and nationwide nutrition efforts. A USDA spokesperson told The Hill that as of May 1, 15,182 employees elected to take a resignation offer.
“Secretary [Brooke] 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 spokesperson said.
“As part of this reorientation, the Deferred Retirement Program (DRP), a completely voluntary tool, was used to empower employees to decide what is best for them,” they added.
The spokesperson said the Biden administration hired a large number of workers with “no sustainable” way to pay them.