GAO Report: USDA Reorganization Lacked Transparency, Impact Unknown

The U.S. Department of Agriculture proceeded with a sweeping reorganization and substantial workforce reduction without adequately documenting the analysis used to inform those decisions, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. This lack of transparency, detailed in a report released November 9, 2026, raises critical questions about the potential impact on the agency’s core functions and responsible use of taxpayer funds, especially as the reorganization faces ongoing legal challenges.

The report highlights a 20 percent decrease in the USDA workforce—a loss of approximately 18,000 positions—between December 2024 and March 2026. Workforce reductions varied significantly across agencies, ranging from 12 percent at the Forest Service to 41 percent at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The GAO found that the USDA did not respond to requests for information detailing the analyses conducted to support the reorganization plan, leaving Congress and the public without insight into how the agency assessed potential disruptions to service delivery or the economic consequences of relocating staff and disposing of federal property.

The GAO’s findings echo concerns raised following the USDA’s 2019 relocation of the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. In those instances, more than half of the staff departed, initially impacting workforce experience and productivity, although staffing levels and output ultimately recovered within two years. This prior experience underscores the potential for sustained disruption, and the current lack of documented analysis prevents a clear assessment of whether the USDA is adequately mitigating similar risks during this larger reorganization. The report emphasizes the importance of adhering to leading practices in agency reforms, economic analysis, and strategic workforce planning—practices the USDA appears to have bypassed.

The most significant unanswered question stemming from this report is whether the USDA can maintain its essential functions with a 20% smaller workforce, given the agency’s critical role in supporting U.S. agriculture, food safety, and rural development. The GAO’s findings do not offer any evidence of a plan to prevent a repeat of the 2019 experience, nor any assessment of the long-term impact on program effectiveness.