Agencies are reversing planned workforce reductions, potentially jeopardizing the successful completion of crucial functions
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has asked employees who accepted the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) to reconsider their decision, as concerns over staffing levels continue to mount.
In an email sent to APHIS employees, a part of the USDA, the assistant secretary's office urged employees to reconsider their enrollment in DRP 2.0. The email highlighted the importance of their work and emphasised that their roles, particularly front-line staff, lab or field-based employees, would not be affected by staffing reductions.
The sudden reversal in USDA's approach towards the DRP was marked in the email. Employees who already signed an agreement can still go back on it, according to the communication. Those who reconsider their decision will not be subject to the layoffs expected throughout USDA in the coming weeks.
The USDA's Veterinary Services office is set to lose 23% of its workforce, and the National Animal Health Laboratory Network office has lost half of its staff responsible for quality assurance and proficiency testing nationwide. If everyone who has signed up for the deferred resignation takes it, APHIS may slow down work on crop insurance for farmers, payments to poultry farmers, the licensing of veterinary products, and operations at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories.
The Agriculture Department is planning for reduced or ceased work in key areas such as avian influenza response. The Trump administration is seeking to prevent catastrophic interruptions to essential government operations.
APHIS is currently working on a plan to ensure critical staffing levels are maintained to protect its core mission. The agency is discussing contingency plans due to the potential loss of staff.
Some department employees received multiple emails encouraging them to accept the DRP offer during its open window. Leadership in meetings and town halls across the department encouraged staff to take the deal.
Employees have reported that the threats the workforce reductions efforts posed on operations were made known to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins’ office on several occasions. APHIS is not currently planning to deny any employee with a signed agreement in hand from taking leave starting May 1.
As of now, around 16,000 USDA employees have opted into the DRP. The USDA has stopped signing agreements for those who opted into the DRP and has now sent requests out to many of its workers asking them to rethink their decision.
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