When Laura Dodson received a notice in late June that her job as an agricultural economist was being relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, she knew what it would mean for herself and dozens of her coworkers in the same situation and for the services they provide to farmers, researchers and the public.
During the first Trump administration, in 2019, the US Department of Agriculture reassigned many employees in her agency, the Economic Research Service (ERS), and in another small institute to Kansas City, saying it would save taxpayers money and shift workers closer to “stakeholders.”
However, many people refused to move, which resulted in the two agencies losing more than half their staff, producing fewer reports and journal articles, and processing grants more slowly for the next few years, according to a federal watchdog report.
Those who remained were demoralized and had to contend with a chaotic work environment, said Dodson, who serves as vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403.
Now, Dodson fears that as many as 80% of her ERS colleagues who received relocation notices will choose to leave. Only 6% of those surveyed by Local 3403 said they would move. Another 25% said they were unsure.
