More than 15,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees have accepted financial incentive packages to leave the agency, according to a USDA briefing with congressional staff reviewed by Reuters. This mass exit, which accounts for roughly 15% of the USDA workforce, is part of a broader Trump administration initiative to shrink the federal government, supported by billionaire Elon Musk.
In two separate rounds of the USDA’s Deferred Resignation Program, 3,877 employees signed in February and 11,305 in April, totaling 15,182 voluntary resignations. That number could increase, as employees over 40 were given additional time to decide and some have yet to sign final contracts.
A USDA spokesperson confirmed the resignations and said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is aiming to streamline operations while preserving essential services. She has exempted 53 job categories from a federal hiring freeze, including wildland firefighters, veterinarians, and food safety inspectors.
This USDA downsizing is part of a broader federal trend. Since Trump began his second term, more than 260,000 federal civilian employees—about 10% of the workforce—have either been fired, accepted buyouts, or taken early retirement.
Significant impacts are expected across critical departments. Departing employees include 674 from the Farm Service Agency, which supports farmers nationwide, and 2,408 from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which handles land conservation efforts. Additionally, 555 staff from the Food Safety Inspection Service and 1,377 from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service are leaving—potentially weakening the USDA’s capacity to respond to bird flu outbreaks and food safety risks.
Many employees favored the second round of incentives due to workplace fatigue and uncertainty about potential layoffs.