The RecordExhibit 150
Moving the Forest Service to Utah and closing 32 offices, blocked for spending money Congress never approved
Ruled unlawful means: A court ruled against it. Some rulings are on appeal.
On Oct. 13, 2026, a federal judge in San Francisco blocked most of the Agriculture Department's reorganization, including moving the Forest Service's headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City, closing nine regional offices and 23 research sites and relocating or reassigning employees, finding that Congress had not authorized spending appropriated money on it.
What happened
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the plan in March 2026: a 'state-based organizational model' with 15 state directors, the closure of nine regional offices and 23 research locations, and a Western headquarters in the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in Salt Lake City, with Fort Collins, Colorado, as the home of the Forest Service's research arm.
Utah's governor, legislative leaders and congressional delegation supported the move. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees led unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees, conservation groups and some local governments in a lawsuit filed in September 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, arguing the plan was unlawful without Congress's approval and that the moves were meant to push out experienced employees. Wyoming Public Media reported the agency first considered closing 57 research facilities before settling on 23.
Where it stands
Judge Vince Chhabria wrote that USDA 'is preliminarily enjoined' from spending appropriated funds on the challenged closures, relocations and reassignments, finding that the department was reprogramming funds for a purpose Congress had not authorized: 'Congress did not contemplate USDA using its appropriated funds to shut down offices or relocate employees.'
The Deseret News and KSL describe it as a stay that runs at least through Dec. 11, 2026, the deadline for Congress to act on fiscal 2027 appropriations; the judge said USDA could ask Congress to change the appropriations language, and that the decision may not be permanent. It is a preliminary order, not a final ruling, and no appeal had been reported by Oct. 15. The Deseret News and KSL date the order to Tuesday, Oct. 13; Wyoming Public Media says Wednesday.
The administration's side
USDA says the reorganization would save millions of dollars and 'strengthen local leadership', and Rollins said a Salt Lake City headquarters would put leaders closer to the lands they manage and the people who depend on them. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz criticized the ruling and said they hoped it would be quickly reversed. The reports we opened carried no USDA statement on the ruling itself.
Sources
Permanent link: https://unredactedrecord.com/e/usdareorg/