crs_reports: R48905

Congressional Research Service reports with summaries, authors, and topic classifications.

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R48905 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): Structure and Proposed Changes 2026-04-14T04:00:00Z 2026-04-16T11:23:48Z Active Reports Zachary T. Neuhofer   The Act of May 15, 1862, established the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). While agricultural research was USDA’s initial focus, its size and responsibilities expanded over its more than 160 years. Newly created agencies within the department covered areas such as agricultural marketing, rural development, and conservation. Since then, USDA has undergone organizational changes; it established, consolidated, or eliminated agencies, offices, and presidentially appointed positions. Reorganization activities also have changed the shape, size, and location of the workforce and physical footprint of USDA and its agencies. As part of the second Trump Administration’s reorganization and workforce reduction efforts throughout the executive branch, the Secretary of Agriculture released a memorandum in July 2025 proposing further reorganization plans for USDA. Congress may organize the USDA through authorizing and appropriations legislation. For example, the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (1994 USDA Reorganization Act; Title II of P.L. 103-354) established a structure that resembles the department’s current organization. Through appropriations legislation, Congress can direct or limit USDA’s ability to use discretionary appropriations to reorganize the department. Further, the Secretary of Agriculture has existing authorities to determine how the department will be structured to perform its statutory duties. For example, Section 4 of the Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1953 (7 U.S.C. §2201 note) allows the Secretary to delegate USDA statutory functions to any office or agency within the department. The Secretary of Agriculture is a presidential Cabinet member. USDA’s agencies are overseen by Under Secretaries (currently eight) who oversee the department’s specific mission areas. USDA’s mission areas are: Farm Production and Conservation; Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services; Food Safety; Marketing and Regulatory Programs; Natural Resources and Environment; Research, Education and Economics; Rural Development; and Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. The mission areas are carried out by the agencies in the department, which administer programs and promulgate regulations. For example, four agencies carry out the Farm Production and Conservation mission area: the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center, the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, and the Natural Resources and Conservation Service. USDA staff offices cover functions such as communications, legal functions, and budget. The Office of Personnel Management estimated that USDA employed approximately 71,000 employees as of February 2026. USDA estimates that approximately 4,600 of these employees are in the National Capital Region (NCR)—the Washington, DC, area. Most USDA staff are located in regional, area, and county office locations across the country. For example, some agencies, such as the Economic Research Service and National Institute for Food and Agriculture, locate their staff primarily in Kansas City, MO. The Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service locate their employees mostly in state and county offices. On July 24, 2025, the Secretary of Agriculture released a memorandum titled “Department of Agriculture Reorganization Plan.” The memorandum includes proposals to reduce the number of USDA employees in the NCR, vacate facilities in the NCR, reduce regional and area offices for some USDA agencies, and consolidate various administrative functions in the department. On August 1, 2025, USDA announced a public comment period for the plan. In December 2025, the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture was reported to state that USDA’s reorganization would be complete by the end of calendar year 2026. Congress has conducted oversight hearings on the reorganization plan, and some Members have introduced legislation that may affect it. On July 30, 2025, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held an oversight hearing to discuss the plan. In addition, agricultural appropriations legislation for FY2026 (P.L. 119-37, Division B) contains provisions that could affect USDA reorganization efforts, such as limits on the ability of the executive branch to use funds to move an office or agency outside of its mission area and limits on the department’s ability to close county offices. The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567) proposes amendments to the 1994 USDA Reorganization Act that would create new offices within USDA and amend or expand the functions of existing ones. Additionally, some introduced legislation would codify positions at USDA (e.g., the Chief of the Forest Service, H.R. 1762/S. 1061) or create new offices within the department (e.g., H.R. 2638, H.R. 3470, and S. 2692). https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R48905/R48905.2.pdf https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/HTML/R48905.html

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