Utah’s Republican leaders are applauding plans to downsize the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s workforce in Washington, D.C. and send employees to five regional hubs, including one in Salt Lake City.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox thanked Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in a post on X Thursday for “choosing Utah as a new (USDA) hub.”

“This move brings the Department closer to the people it serves and strengthens its core mission to support farmers, ranchers, and rural families,” Cox said. “Utah is proud to partner in advancing American agriculture and rural prosperity.”

The department plans to reduce its workforce in the National Capital Region (which includes the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia) from about 4,600 employees to less than 2,000.

In addition to Salt Lake City, it also plans to add workers to regional offices in Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis; and Fort Collins, Colorado.The “reorganization,” which is expected to take years, according to a memorandum signed by Rollins, is meant to move the USDA geographically closer to its constituents of farmers, ranchers and foresters, Rollins said in a press release. 

"We look forward to learning more about USDA's plans to create greater efficiencies within the department," said ValJay Rigby, President of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. "It is very important that USDA ensure the delivery of essential services and programs for farmers is not disrupted. We will closely monitor USDA's plans as more details are shared."

“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,” Rollins said.

“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,” Rollins added. “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.”

In response, Democratic members of Congress in the National Capital Region issued a joint statement condemning the move as a “betrayal of American farmers, and an attack on the federal workforce that will severely damage services that the American people depend on.”

Republicans, including Utah Sen. Mike Lee, applauded the move.

“The people making decisions about how our forests are managed and our food is grown shouldn’t be distant bureaucrats,” Lee said in a news release, congratulating the department for “decentralizing from Washington and relocating staff to Salt Lake City and other regional hubs.”

“Not only is this a big win for Utah’s farmers and ranchers, but also for our land managers as the department moves closer to the people who live, work, and rely upon these lands,” Lee added.

Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, also thanked Rollins, calling it a “bold move to shift USDA operations out of Washington, D.C., and into the communities they’re meant to serve.” 

“This is smart government — more local, more accountable, and a better use of taxpayer dollars,” Schultz said. “Utah is proud to be one of just five new locations selected nationwide.

Schultz added the move will “strengthen our economy, support Utah families and ag producers, and ensure USDA resources are placed where they’re needed most — on the ground, serving our farmers and ranchers.”

“It’s a win for rural communities, for agriculture, and for restoring trust in how government serves the people,” he said. 


Additional comments from Utah elected officials:

"The USDA’s decision to refocus on its core mission, supporting farmers, families, and rural communities, is long overdue. Utahns are the best at advocating for and advancing American agriculture. I'm proud that the USDA has recognized that strength by choosing Utah as a hub for this renewed mission." - Senator John Curtis

"A BIG win for Utah’s farming community. Thank you,  @USDA  @SecRollins !" - Rep. Burgess Owens


This article was first published by the Utah News Dispatch and reporter Katie McKellar. It is edited lightly here for length, and inclusion of Utah Farm Bureau quote.