Judge blocks USDA office closures and relocations

A federal judge has barred the U.S. Department of Agriculture from closing offices or moving employees beyond their local commuting areas at eight department components while a lawsuit over its reorganization proceeds. The order, issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria, finds the department likely violated congressional spending restrictions. The ruling halts key parts of a plan that includes relocating the Forest Service headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City and closing offices across the department. USDA had sought to move about 2,600 employees from the Washington region, as well as consolidate offices nationwide. The order does not permanently decide whether the reorganization can go ahead. Chhabria’s order applies to the Forest Service, the Agricultural Research Service, the Food and Nutrition Administration and five other USDA components. It bars office closures and relocations outside local commuting areas during the litigation. Reassignments within the Washington National Capital Region remain permitted, according to an account of the order. The judge concluded that USDA was likely using appropriated funds for purposes Congress had not authorized.