Samples of insects that agricultural specialists look for when inspecting flowers for harmful pests are seen at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, on February 7, 2024. Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
As the Trump administration marches forward with its plan to dramatically slash the federal workforce, agencies are bidding farewell to employees who have agreed to resign now in exchange for pay and benefits through September.
But at least one agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), is already scrambling to fill some of those newly vacant roles, according to internal communications seen by NPR.
On Thursday, a day after the departure of hundreds of employees who accepted the deferred resignation offer, remaining APHIS employees received an email from human resources announcing "lateral transfer opportunities." Qualified employees are invited to apply by Tuesday for 73 open positions "that are especially critical to fill as soon as possible," the email said.
The agency is looking for scientists, budget analysts, technicians, inspectors, and a veterinarian to carry out its mission to protect the health, welfare, and value of America's plants, animals, and natural resources.
The immediate posting of these jobs has infuriated employees who took the deferred resignation offer out of fear that their positions would be eliminated.
"We are now all at home, being paid to stay home while they announce, less than 24 hours later, our jobs," said one APHIS employee who accepted deferred resignation and now sees their position on the list of openings. "What logic metric is being used to justify this?"
The employee, whose role involved ensuring that agricultural commodities entering the U.S. are both legal and safe, agreed to speak with NPR on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal for speaking to the media.
In filling jobs that are open due to voluntary resignations, the government will effectively be on the hook for two salary-and-benefit packages through the end of September - one for the person newly moving into the job, and one for the person who was paid to leave that job.
It's not clear what will happen to the roles that are vacated by employees who move to the newly opened positions.
It's also not clear if all 73 open positions had been occupied by people who accepted the deferred resignation offer. The email to employees explained that APHIS had been approved to fill a limited number of positions "given the impact of recent and upcoming staff departures."
NPR asked the USDA press office to explain the rationale for offering employees in mission-critical positions the chance to resign with five months of pay and benefits, and how their replacements would be funded during those months. Most APHIS positions are funded through fees paid by importers and other entities that use the agency's services, not Congressional appropriations.
The agency declined to answer those questions and instead sent a statement.
"Under President Trump's leadership, USDA is being transparent about plans to optimize and reduce our workforce and to return the Department to a customer service focused, farmer first agency," the statement said. "While Secretary Rollins is actively pursuing plans to reduce USDA's workforce to better serve the needs of the people we serve, she will not compromise the critical work of the Department, including its ongoing work to protect American agriculture from foreign disease and pests."
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks to the press outside the White House on February 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images North America hide caption
The APHIS employee who spoke to NPR said they never wanted to leave their job. They'd been with the government for about eight years.
The employee took pride in the role they played, protecting American agriculture from invasive plants, pests and diseases and ensuring the safety of imported food products headed for supermarkets.
They did not consider leaving when