A federal court temporarily halted the Trump administration’s sweeping reorganization of the Agriculture Department late Tuesday, dealing a blow to the secretary of state. Brooke Rollins.
The order from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California prohibits officials from moving funds appropriated by Congress to finance the reorganization, including through moving expenses, building closures and other costs.
The court’s decision is a victory for federal employee unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees and the AFL-CIO, which sued the government earlier this year. This applies to the Forest Service; the Food and Nutrition Administration; the Agronomic Research Service, including the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center; the Foreign Agricultural Service; Rural development; the Office of the General Legal Counsel; the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; as well as the mission areas Research, Education and Economics, and Agricultural Production and Conservation.
The relief may be short-lived, however. Judge Vince Chhabriaappointed by Obama, noted that “the relevant appropriations laws are set to expire in less than two months.” The order will not prevent a subsequent reorganization if Congress agrees with the USDA plan.
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