- A coalition of Plaintiffs, including non-profit organizations and unions representing USDA employees, filed suit against USDA and USDA Secretary Rollins in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that USDA’s planned reorganization is unlawful.
- The lawsuit alleges that USDA sought congressional authorization for the reorganization and was expressly rejected but nevertheless proceeded with the reorganization plan. It also alleges that the reorganization was arbitrary and capricious because the decisions were made without any analysis of their impact on the agency’s functions and ability to meet its statutory mandates. It alleges that the reorganization plan, which relocates offices, anticipates that many employees will not relocate and is intended to reduce the size of the USDA workforce.
- Plaintiffs filed another lawsuit, AFGE v. Trump, No. 25-cv-03698-SI (N.D. Cal.), earlier this year which more broadly challenged the Trump administration’s reorganization of the federal government. This lawsuit was filed after the court presiding that case determined that the USDA reorganization claims should be brought as a separate suit.
- Keller and Heckman will continue to monitor and report on USDA’s reorganization and any challenges to it.
