WASHINGTON—More than 15,000 employees from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have accepted a buyout offer from the federal government, resigning or taking early retirement in exchange for months of paid leave and benefits.
Just over 3,800 workers took the first offer, which was made in February. Over 11,300 took the offer when it came around again in April.
A spokesperson for the USDA said that, despite the reduction in workforce, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins will not allow the “critical work of the Department” to be compromised.
Rollins’s intention is to make the department “more effective and efficient,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, “by prioritizing farmers, ranchers, and producers.”…