CALIFORNIA — The USDA reorganization plan requires employees to relocate or resign. Over 75% of employees at some USDA programs stated they were more likely to leave the agency than relocate. "The Trump Administration is trying to force essential public servants to choose between uprooting their lives — in many cases, by moving across the country — or losing their jobs," said Attorney General Rob Bonta.

The American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, the City and County of San Francisco, and the County of Santa Clara are plaintiffs challenging the USDA reorganization. The coalition of attorneys general includes representatives from Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.

The USDA plans to close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland. Every scientist on at least one cyclospora project at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center has declined to move and will be forced to resign. The United States is currently experiencing the worst cyclospora outbreak on record.

Why It Matters

The legal challenge centers on the potential disruption of federal services that states rely on for public safety and health. The attorneys general argue that the mass resignation of USDA staff would impair wildfire prevention efforts and food supply protection during a period of environmental stress and disease outbreak.

The case shows the tension between federal administrative restructuring and the retention of specialized scientific personnel. With the nation facing its worst recorded cyclospora outbreak, the departure of scientists working on related projects at the Beltsville facility represents a specific loss of institutional capacity cited by the coalition.

Timeline

On September 16, 2026, California Attorney General Bonta and a coalition of 21 attorneys general filed an amicus brief opposing the U.S. Department of Agriculture's reorganization plan. The amicus brief supports a motion for a preliminary injunction in the case American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, et al. v. Trump, et al. The coalition of 21 attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Bonta, filed an amicus brief on September 16, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, supporting a motion for a preliminary injunction against the USDA's reorganization plan.

Attorney General Bonta stated on September 16, 2026, that the Trump Administration is trying to force essential public servants to choose between uprooting their lives — in many cases, by moving across the country — or losing their jobs. He also said on that date that if allowed to proceed, this reckless plan would make it harder for states to prevent wildfires, protect our food supply, and provide nutrition assistance to families who need it. Bonta further stated on September 16, 2026, that "the court has already blocked this plan, and we firmly believe it should stay blocked."

How Sources Differ

Regarding the attorneys general, oag.ca.gov reports that the coalition of 21 attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Bonta, filed an amicus brief on September 16, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, supporting a motion for a preliminary inju. Bonta states that if allowed to proceed, this reckless plan would make it harder for states to prevent wildfires, protect our food supply, and provide nutrition assistance to families who need it.

Bonta states that the court has already blocked this plan, and we firmly believe it should stay blocked.