Federal Workers Facing a Forced Relocation Mandate Are Choosing to Walk Away From Their Jobs Entirely Rather Than Uproot Their Entire Families

Cheerful young woman with curly hair taking cardboard package out from trunk of automobile while bearded ethnic man carrying box into new house in suburb or countryside area

Federal Workers Facing a Forced Relocation Mandate Are Choosing to Walk Away From Their Jobs Entirely Rather Than Uproot Their Entire Families

A Deadline That Doubles as an Ultimatum

Roughly 6,500 Forest Service employees received formal impact notices this year telling them their jobs are moving out from under them, part of a sweeping U.S. Department of Agriculture relocation mandate with a rolling series of deadlines through the summer and fall of 2026. The Forest Service’s own headquarters staff are being told to report to Salt Lake City. Rural Development is consolidating in Dallas. The Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, agencies already relocated once, to Kansas City in 2019, are facing new reporting deadlines of July 29, according to Government Executive’s reporting.

A woman carrying moving boxes through a living room during a household relocation.

The Numbers Point One Direction

Internal projections obtained by reporters suggest the overwhelming majority of affected staff are choosing to leave rather than move. Only 7 percent of Forest Service employees facing relocation indicated they were willing to go to Salt Lake City, according to Government Executive. At Rural Development, 64 percent of employees said they would not relocate to Dallas.

Federal News Network reported that 76 percent of American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403 members surveyed said they would not follow their positions to Kansas City. That union represents workers at agencies that lived through this exact scenario in 2019, after which roughly 85 percent of affected employees quit or retired rather than move.

A Dispute Over What the Numbers Actually Mean

USDA leadership has pushed back on the idea that the department is bleeding staff by design, saying 64% of the 725 employees who had received reassignment letters as of early September had accepted their new assignments. Employees and union representatives dispute that figure, arguing that accepting a reassignment is often the only procedural path available to formally request a hardship exemption before a deadline closes.

Incentives Cut Both Ways

USDA has tried to soften the mandate with money on both sides of the decision. Employees who commit to relocating for at least two years are eligible for a relocation incentive plus reimbursement of moving costs, while those who leave instead can apply for early retirement or a voluntary separation payment, according to a separate Federal News Network report.

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