GAO finds USDA reorganization lacked analysis

The Government Accountability Office reported on Monday that the US Department of Agriculture failed to provide documentation showing it analyzed potential harms from its agency-wide reorganization. The report states the process lacked transparency for Congress and the public regarding how the agency weighed impacts on its functions and finances.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has sought to move approximately half of the USDA's Washington, DC-area employees to regional hubs. This move is part of the Trump administration's effort to overhaul the federal government. The GAO noted that the USDA did not respond to repeated requests for an analysis of the reorganization's impacts.

The agency's workforce decreased by 20 percent between December 2024 and March 2026. The total headcount dropped from about 91,000 employees to about 73,000. Many of these departures were linked to federal worker cuts led by the Department of Government Efficiency. Farmers have voiced concerns that the changes have reduced staffing at county USDA offices, where they receive support for loan and conservation programs.

In a letter to the GAO dated September 30, Rollins said she deliberated for months on the approach to the reorganization. She described the GAO report as "partisan shenanigans." The report was requested by Democratic Representative Angie Craig and Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar.

A federal judge blocked the agency from proceeding with the reorganization in October. The ruling favored federal worker unions that had sued to stop the initiative. The GAO's findings add to the scrutiny of the agency's operational changes during this period.