These USDA employees face a stark choice: Move to Kansas City or be fired
Washington Post,
by
Joe Davidson
Original Article
Posted By: old_clock_says,
7/2/2019 3:20:57 PM
The Agriculture Department is offering employees a rare choice: accept a forced transfer to a post 1,000 miles away or be fired.
The Trump administration’s plan to move two agencies from the District to the Kansas City area includes a document with two blank boxes on it, sent to employees...
Reply 1 - Posted by:
DVC 7/2/2019 3:26:24 PM (No. 112157)
Sounds like a good thing to me. Cull out tons of deadwood, and maybe have some more sensible midwestern folks take those jobs.
Sounds like a double win to me. Especially if they can lose 1,000 and replace them with 200. And YES, I am just fine with a whole lot of whatever DoAg does, not getting done any more, ever.
47 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Knotwyrkin 7/2/2019 3:27:15 PM (No. 112159)
Paywall article.
5 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Delilah 7/2/2019 3:28:26 PM (No. 112160)
I believe this is the start of Trump's plan to spread out the fed. workers instead of having all of them in D.C. After all, they affect all of us, not just the other gov. employees they live and work with. They might actually find out we have a middle of the country too.
47 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Fitzroy 7/2/2019 3:28:49 PM (No. 112163)
If any Ag Dep. employees had ever been to Kansas City, they might be thanking their lucky stars that they will be able to live affordably in a major city with all the amenities. If they're lucky, they might even get to visit a real farm close by.
62 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Sandpiper 7/2/2019 3:28:53 PM (No. 112164)
Sorry - no sympathy here at all. Welcome to the Real World government employees. Private industry has done this for decades and within my own immediate family I had people faced with the very same decision: move or lose your job.
63 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
earlybird 7/2/2019 3:34:20 PM (No. 112168)
WaPo’s Davidson gives this the full pearl-clutching, black crepe-hanging, teeth-gnashing, garment-rending doom and gloom treatment.
Sounds like a heck of a good idea and the so-called “brain drain” on other (related?) agencies is a concoction. If they need the FDA for brains, then maybe they need to be shut down or seriously weeded out.
25 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
bhkat 7/2/2019 3:36:18 PM (No. 112170)
Do this to every department and hopefully 50-60% will quit.
44 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Grounded 7/2/2019 3:37:59 PM (No. 112171)
There was talk a few months ago of moving Interior department functions out west to establish proximity to that department's mission: Indian affairs and management of the US public lands. Both of which are situate mainly west of the Mississippi River. Dallas and Denver seemed the likeliest candidates.
I think the more bureaucrats that are relocated out of DC, the better it is for the country as it gets these government "workers" out of the DC echo chamber and gives them a dose of reality. And if they'd rather resign than relocate, that's a win-win.
43 people like this.
Sounds like a great plan. Spread more Federal dollars around - the Navy trains recruits in Illinois. The Navy alsp relocated oe of its major system commands from DC to San Diiego during the post-Cold War drawdown. 3,000 jobs were moved, 2,000 employees opted not to go, and only 900 were hired locally to replace them. It was a brilliant move.
30 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
qr4j 7/2/2019 3:56:42 PM (No. 112187)
I feel sorry for the citizens of Kansas City and the surrounding area. They will have to put up with the imports from DC-Land.
25 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
mc squared 7/2/2019 3:59:01 PM (No. 112191)
Private industry does this all the time. Whether moving to a less costly state or shutting down a facility, this is how the world works.
35 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
bpl40 7/2/2019 4:00:43 PM (No. 112193)
I like the second choice better.
8 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
BarryNo 7/2/2019 4:01:29 PM (No. 112194)
Sounds good to me. A lot of people have to make that choice. Washington DC is a cess pool..
Choose, you slimy swamp dwellers. Fly-over country or quit!!
23 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
skacmar 7/2/2019 4:05:13 PM (No. 112198)
Seems to make sense to me. There is not much agriculture in Washington DC. Shouldn't the USDA in charge of agriculture be somewhere near where agriculture actually occurs?
31 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Bur Oak 7/2/2019 4:08:32 PM (No. 112201)
A bunch of government needs to be shutdown but if that can't be done moving it to lower cost areas is a positive move. How about moving the Department of Interior to the interior.
22 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
Jerseyden 7/2/2019 4:09:46 PM (No. 112202)
I don’t remember seeing any concern when Gov reg and tax burdens forced private companies to close shop and move overseas. It’s good to see Gov at least trying to make good economic decisions for tax paying workers.
17 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
slab 7/2/2019 4:13:29 PM (No. 112205)
Responding to OP comment, very little scientific innovation originates in DC.
New ideas and technology begin at land-grant universities, private companies, and occasionally
'down on the farm'. Bureaucrats mostly get in the way, and the Dept. of Agriculture has far too many of them.
34 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
seamusm 7/2/2019 4:23:41 PM (No. 112208)
If the Laws of Unintended Consequences hold true this could screw up voting patterns across the center of America. We in Texas are quickly finding out that Californians are being given the chance to screw up a second state.
12 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
ravenhaven 7/2/2019 4:24:57 PM (No. 112210)
A relocation? Who ever heard of such a thing?
6 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
Clinger 7/2/2019 4:26:52 PM (No. 112212)
Thanks #5, been there done that. I went to grad school and made a proactive career change for the purpose of becoming marketable across a broader industry base so I had the option to seek other employment. That came in handy, more so than I would have desired. Government employees should take responsibility for their own career options and not be insulated from the real world at our expense.
And why do we have an Agriculture department? Wasn't that one of the first targets for communist infiltration back in the 30's?
11 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
Strike3 7/2/2019 4:32:56 PM (No. 112214)
Kansas City is a good location. They could have been stuck with San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle, Detroit, Portland, Baltimore, etc. Accept the move and be happy about it.
Please explain your comment, OP. I'm too thick to get it.
17 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
lil dotty 7/2/2019 4:44:50 PM (No. 112220)
So women waste money. Men have been saying this from the dawn of time.
Nike is nuked; no one is happy, 'as you sew, so shall you reap.'
1 person likes this.
Government agencies do not exist to serve government employees. They exist to serve the People.
It is perfectly logical to move a farm-related agencies to the farming hub of the nation. It's also cheaper.
16 people like this.
I wish he would move Congress there and force all the lobbyist to relocate.
10 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
bad-hair 7/2/2019 5:01:23 PM (No. 112239)
An old commercial comes to mind.
WHERE's THE BEEF?
Now move the Department of Energy to Odessa Texas.
14 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
justavoter 7/2/2019 5:12:40 PM (No. 112248)
I wonder if the salaries will be adjusted for the cost of living index since KC has a lower index for the salary than DC. That ought to set the Unions hair on fire.
WINNING!
16 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
Dino Sayer 7/2/2019 5:14:43 PM (No. 112254)
Great, the reduction in the cost of living in KC will be like a 20% payraise for the department's employees. Plus the get to move out of the hot, muggy swamp that is DC. Moving about 900 miles closer to most of the large farms in the USA make a certain bit of sense. They will also be closer to a lot of the colleges that do a lot of agricultural research and development. KC is a beautiful place and still pretty affordable.
11 people like this.
Reply 28 - Posted by:
Philipsonh 7/2/2019 5:16:34 PM (No. 112256)
Those who understand the Federal Govt will realize that those who are asked to relocate are special employees. Most will not be asked, as the Govt picks up the relocation costs, which are extensive. Some may be asked to relocate voluntarily, on their own dime, to keep their jobs.
2 people like this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
Scribelus 7/2/2019 5:30:29 PM (No. 112263)
Too bad the move is not to a right-to-work state. The swampies will bring their union with them.
3 people like this.
Reply 30 - Posted by:
Omen55 7/2/2019 5:30:50 PM (No. 112264)
To dem death is better then living in Fly Over country.
6 people like this.
Reply 31 - Posted by:
zephyrgirl 7/2/2019 5:47:00 PM (No. 112271)
DOD did this a decade ago - closed a big (5,000+) facility in Denver and scattered the employees to the midwest. Some were offered lower-graded jobs elsewhere. Scads opted to retire rather than relocate.
3 people like this.
Reply 32 - Posted by:
skacmar 7/2/2019 6:20:48 PM (No. 112289)
I'm sure some Congresscritter will grandstand and claim how cruel this is to families and government continuity. They will say it shows how little the Trump administration cares for the common worker in this country. Of course, EVERY Representative and Senator is forced to relocate to Washington DC for their job. If they want their jobs, they will take the transfer. Its not like they are being made to move to downtown LA, San Francisco, or Portland where they will be over run by trash, rats and ANTIFA protesters.
3 people like this.
Reply 33 - Posted by:
anniebc 7/2/2019 6:43:18 PM (No. 112303)
What? this is real? Way to go, Mr. Trump.
3 people like this.
Reply 34 - Posted by:
LC Chihuahua 7/2/2019 6:50:13 PM (No. 112310)
There are no guarantees. You cannot let your life revolve around a job that can disappear at any time. Plan accordingly. Save for that rainy day. Save for that rainy year. Save so much so you don't need to work that job. Its not easy, but it has to be done. You do not want to be dependent on someone else that has absolutely no regard for your interests. That might sound harsh, but that's the way things work.
6 people like this.
Reply 35 - Posted by:
DCGIRL 7/2/2019 7:05:42 PM (No. 112328)
This is the government's way of cleaning house. I'm loving every minute of this.
6 people like this.
Reply 36 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 7/2/2019 7:35:23 PM (No. 112340)
That's exactly how corporate America does it these days... uproot the organization and tell them to move themselves or they're out of a job. get ready Kansas City, a lot of liberal crybabies are coming your direction.
3 people like this.
Reply 37 - Posted by:
Lawsy0 7/2/2019 7:54:18 PM (No. 112346)
How very like the WaPo to omit whether the major move is to Kansas City MO or Kansas City KS. Of course it is two border cities of two border states, but it would matter to me if I moved. It might make a difference to some. That said, people who need the work are more willing to pick up sticks and move than the entrenched bureaucrats which make up MOST government offices.
1 person likes this.
Reply 38 - Posted by:
gorzabozo 7/2/2019 8:05:57 PM (No. 112353)
A good start, now move Dept of Energy to Houston, TX and Housing and Urban Development to the worst slums of Chicago or Los Angeles' Skid Row.
3 people like this.
Reply 39 - Posted by:
TXknitter 7/2/2019 8:27:00 PM (No. 112359)
Amen #23 but speaking from a family of many federal employees, they don’t think so. This is a fabulous move, Mr. President.
4 people like this.
Reply 40 - Posted by:
Heil Liberals 7/2/2019 9:19:21 PM (No. 112392)
The employees of the USDA in DC like it there since it is home to the greatest collection of Bull Excrement on the planet. It's what feeds them.
2 people like this.
Reply 41 - Posted by:
hershey 7/2/2019 10:00:25 PM (No. 112421)
It happens to military personnel all the time (at least the moving part)....only bad thing is importing more liberals into red states....
3 people like this.
Reply 42 - Posted by:
NorthernDog 7/2/2019 10:08:01 PM (No. 112425)
Trump won MO by 19 points and won KS by 21 points. Government liberals will have a hard time turning the area into a blue wasteland.
4 people like this.
Reply 43 - Posted by:
DVC 7/2/2019 11:25:55 PM (No. 112487)
I live in the KS side suburbs of KC. Pretty darned nice place to live.
Well, until they bring in a bunch of lefitst bureaucrats from DC.
3 people like this.
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This will destroy our leadership on vast amounts of scientific fronts worldwide.