USDA relocation

The Agriculture Department said it chose the Kansas City region as the new site for the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture headquarters because it would save the agency real estate, staffing and other costs.

In today’s Federal Newscast, a provision in the annual Defense bill the Senate Armed Services Committee released this week would order a top-to-bottom review of the contractor, civilian and military IT positions in each military service and DoD agency.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the USDA relocation will save government $300 million over 15 years. About 100 employees are expected to move out of the national capital region by Aug. 1.

Employees at the Agriculture Department’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted to unionize on the heels of USDA’s proposed relocation.

As employees at the Agriculture Department await word of a final site decision, more members of Congress are taking steps to try to block the proposed USDA relocation.

While employees await a decision about the department’s plans for the proposed USDA relocation, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has announced a new initiative designed to better organize workspace in the national capital region.

In today’s Federal Newscast, a new federal interagency strategy from the Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, looks to reduce how much food is wasted.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said he expects House Democrats will go along with the proposed USDA relocation when the department releases a final cost benefit analysis.

The Agriculture Department said it plans to make a final recommendation on a new location for both the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in early May.