AFSCME President Patrick Moran praised a federal court ruling on Tuesday that halts, for now, the illegal reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

The Trump administration’s attempts to gut the USDA threaten essential public services that protect working families and support American farmers, as well as public benefits including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps millions of low-income families buy groceries. 

If carried out, the administration’s USDA reorganization would force many career public service workers at the agency to leave their jobs – including hardworking AFSCME members in the Foreign Agricultural Service, Rural Development mission area, and Farm Production and Conservation mission area.

“The administration’s attempt to gut this essential agency is blatantly illegal, and we’re thankful the court has stopped it, for now, from proceeding with a reckless plan,” Moran said. “Forcing nonpartisan public service workers, including many AFSCME members, to choose between their jobs and uprooting their families to move across the country would undermine the essential services USDA provides.”

AFSCME is part of a coalition that sued the administration after it announced its plans to close USDA offices and facilities, as well as force relocations of USDA employees, without congressional approval and without accounting for the inevitable attrition and harm to public services. The coalition issued a joint press release praising the ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, which found the administration’s actions illegal since they use federal funds for purposes other than Congress authorized.

“Congress did not contemplate USDA using its appropriated funds to shut down offices or relocate employees,” the court held.  

It also found that the public interest favored plaintiffs, because “USDA’s reorganization efforts risk disrupting programs on which many Americans depend.” The court also stated that “USDA’s office closures and employee relocations would impede [the Agency’s] ability to carry out their critical functions,” adding “it does not appear USDA has conducted any analysis to show that these risks are not real or are outweighed by any potential benefits.”

In addition to AFSCME, the plaintiffs include three other unions – the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE); the National Federation of Federal Employees, IAM, (NFFE); and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) – as well as cities, counties, and nonprofit organizations. The four union plaintiffs represent USDA employees across the agency in many components impacted by the illegal reorganization attempt.

Without the injunction, the administration’s attacks on the USDA would wreak havoc across the agency. Among other things, they would:

• eliminate the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, the nation’s premier agricultural research facility; 
• close all nine Forest Service regional offices, and shut 23 research locations across 15 states, imperiling efforts to prevent and fight wildfires;
• close five of seven regional offices of the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) and require employees to relocate across the country, undermining the effective administration of critical nutrition programs like SNAP and WIC.

“We will keep fighting to protect these AFSCME members and the vital services they provide to rural communities and farmers nationwide,” Moran also said.