Raleigh, NC – Raleigh has been named one of five new US Department of Agriculture hub locations. As part of a nationwide restructuring plan announced by Secretary Brooke Rollins on July 24, the agency aims to move closer to the communities it serves.
“American agriculture feeds, clothes, and fuels this nation and the world, and it is long past time the Department better serve the great and patriotic farmers, ranchers, and producers we are mandated to support,” said Secretary Rollins in a press release. “President Trump was elected to make real change in Washington, and we are doing just that by moving our key services outside the beltway and into great American cities across the country. We will do so through a transparent and common-sense process that preserves USDA’s critical health and public safety services the American public relies on. We will do right by the great American people who we serve and with respect to the thousands of hardworking USDA employees who so nobly serve their country.”
To bring the USDA closer to the people it supports and provide a more affordable cost of living to government employees, the USDA says it has developed a plan to relocate a significant portion of the agency’s headquarters and National Capital Region (NCR) staff to five hub locations. Raleigh has been chosen as one of those five locations, with a federal locality rate of 22.24%. The remaining four hub locations are Kansas City, Missouri, at 18.97%; Indianapolis, Indiana, at 18.15%; Fort Collins, Colorado, at 30.52% and Salt Lake City, Utah, at 17.06%.
The USDA reorganization is built around four key pillars.
- First, it aims to ensure that the size of the USDA’s workforce is appropriately aligned with its available financial resources and the nation’s agricultural priorities.
- Second, it seeks to bring the USDA closer to its customers, enhancing responsiveness and service delivery.
- Third, the reorganization is designed to eliminate excessive management layers and reduce bureaucratic obstacles that hinder efficiency.
- Fourth, it intends to consolidate redundant support functions to streamline operations and improve overall effectiveness.
Critical functions of the USDA will continue without interruption. It is the height of fire season, and the USDA has exceeded hiring goals and maintained the ability to continue hiring…