USDA Shutdown Plan Reveals Over 42,000 Employees Furloughed
As part of federal requirements, the White House Office of Management and Budget mandates that the USDA maintain a contingency plan for operations in the event of a government shutdown. That plan has now gone into effect following the shutdown that began Wednesday at 12 a.m., impacting thousands of agency employees and critical agricultural services.
The plan shows a total of 85,907 USDA employees on board before the government shutdown took place on Wednesday morning at 12 am. According to the plan, a total of 42,256 agency employees were placed on furlough.
Key agencies affected by the furlough include:
- Risk Management Agency (RMA)
- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
- Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
- Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)
The plan shows that the work getting paused during a shutdown includes most of the Risk Management Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, Food and Nutrition Service, and other segments of the agency.
One of the most critical areas of concern is the Farm Service Agency (FSA), which directly supports farmers with loans, disaster assistance, and program sign-ups.
The shutdown particularly affects employees who work face-to-face with farmers. More than 6,000 of the 9,000-plus Farm Service Agency employees are going on furlough.
In contrast, essential services like food safety remain more intact:
By comparison, just 533 of the 7,600-plus people working at the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which regulates meat and poultry processing, are to be furloughed.
Meanwhile, pesticide registration work at the EPA will continue, ensuring some level of continuity in agricultural chemical regulation.
As the USDA shutdown continues, the disruption to key services—especially those supporting producers and rural communities—could grow more severe. While critical inspections and safety programs are still operational, the pause in conservation, foreign ag relations, and farm services is already being felt by the agriculture sector.