The CR Language Blocked USDA Reorganization. What Comes Next?

On October 13, a federal judge ordered USDA to halt office closures and reorganization relocations. The order covers the Agricultural Research Service, Forest Service, Food and Nutrition Administration, Research, Education and Economics, Foreign Agricultural Service, Rural Development, Farm Production and Conservation, as well as the Office of the General Counsel and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, where thousands of employees had already received relocation orders.

The judge cited language in the continuing resolution saying that no funds could be spent on relocation until USDA notified the appropriation committees and received permission to proceed.  The restriction the judge enforced is tied to the CR, which runs out on December 11.

While the appropriations bill is always high stakes, the language following the December 11 CR will have massive implications for USDA employees. Another short-term CR would typically carry the restriction forward, but CRs come with anomalies, and an administration that wants regional hubs open by summer 2027 has every reason to ask for one.  If the bill moves through as an omnibus, language will presumably need to be included in both the Interior-Environment and Ag-FDA language to cover all agencies within USDA.

Ultimately, this will come down to how willing Congress is to fund the federal government with new FY27 language, rather than a CR, and how hard the administration pushes to remove this language. For now, USDA employees remain in limbo until December 11.