Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Relocating Forest Service’s Headquarters Closer to the Forests It Serves

Plans to relocate the U.S. Forest Service’s headquarters to Salt Lake City are on hold after a federal judge ruled that the Trump Administration needed approval from Congress to relocate the office. The Forest Service, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has been headquartered at Washington. In March, the Agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, announced the decision to move the Forest Service’s headquarters, calling it a “common sense approach” that will put it “closer to the forests we manage.” A coalition of labor unions and nonprofits sued to stop the move, arguing that the Trump Administration lacked the authority to unilaterally move the agency’s headquarters.A federal judge in California, Vince Chhabria, sided with the plaintiffs in an order released on Wednesday that blocked the USDA from closing or relocating any of its agencies.“Congress did not contemplate USDA using its appropriated funds to shut down offices or relocate employees,” Judge Chhabria said. The judge said lawmakers “actively” tried to prevent the move, noting that, after the plan was announced, lawmakers included a provision in the appropriations bill stating that“none of the funds” allocated to the USDA can be used for relocating offices or employees without approval from the House and Senate appropriations committees.The order blocks the USDA from relocating employees to areas that are outside of their current work commute. It also blocks the closure of USDA research offices and Food and Nutrition Administration offices. “The relevant appropriations statutes are set to expire in less than two months,” Judge Chhabria said. “If the agency wishes to move forward with its plans to close offices and relocate employees, it will soon have the opportunity to convince Congress of the merits of those plans,” he added.The plaintiffs in the case argued that the planned reorganization at the USDA was illegal and raised concerns that relocating the Forest Service’s headquarters would force thousands of employees to move or quit their jobs.The president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Everett Kelley, said in a statement, “Congress told USDA in plain language that it could not close offices and uproot its workforce without permission.”“USDA did it anyway, so AFGE and our partners took them to court. These forced moves were never about efficiency. They were about pushing experienced people out the door,” Mr. Kelley said. The Forest Service had sent letters to more than 6,000 employees telling them that they were being considered for mandatory relocation. The USDA said in a court filing that only about 250 employees would have to relocate.The USDA did not respond to The New York Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Relocating Forest Service’s Headquarters Closer to the Forests It Serves

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Relocating Forest Service’s Headquarters Closer to the Forests It Serves

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