WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture from carrying out its planned reorganization, halting office closures and the relocation of about 2,600 employees from the Washington region, according to Reuters.
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria, of the Northern District of California, stayed the plan under the Administrative Procedure Act. The order covers several parts of the department, including the Agricultural Research Service, the Forest Service and the Food and Nutrition Service.
Chhabria found the department was using congressionally appropriated money for a purpose Congress had not intended. Congress did not contemplate the funds being used to shut down offices or relocate employees, he wrote.
The plan sought to move employees out of the Washington region and consolidate offices across the country. Government Executive reported the workers would go to five regional hubs, in Indiana, North Carolina, Missouri, Colorado and Utah.
Under the stay, the department may not close or eliminate offices at the affected agencies. It also may not relocate or reassign employees outside their local commuting area, including by issuing or enforcing management-directed reassignment letters, according to Agri-Pulse.
Agri-Pulse reported the funding restrictions at issue expire Dec. 11, so Congress could revisit them in its next funding bill. Chhabria also ordered the department to tell all employees about the order within two days and to show within a week that it is complying, Agri-Pulse reported.
The ruling is a win for the unions that sued to block the plan. They argued the moves would weaken agency services, and staff had warned that wide departures could put trade, foreign aid, nutrition and other programs at risk, according to Reuters.
Chhabria rejected an argument that the stay should cover only union members. Bloomberg Law reported he said the Administrative Procedure Act allows courts to vacate agency actions more broadly.
A USDA spokesperson said the department is reviewing the decision and will file its response with the court, according to Reuters.
Patrick Moran, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, welcomed the ruling in a statement. He called the reorganization plan reckless and said the court had stopped it for now.
