The US Department of Agriculture has revealed that it will close 259 domestic offices, facilities and laboratories throughout the country, as well as seven foreign offices.
“The USDA, like families and businesses across the country, cannot continue to operate like we did 50 years ago,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We must innovate, modernize and be better stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars.”
The move has been described as a cost-cutting exercise and forms part of the agency’s implementation of the “Blueprint for Stronger Service” –a strategy designed to make the US government work better and more efficiently.
The changes, when fully implemented, are expected to provide efficiencies of around US$150m annually, according to a USDA news release.
The USDA said it also plans to implement a series of other changes that will save taxpayers’ money, including consolidating more than 700 mobile (cell) phone plans into about 10 and standardise civil rights training and purchases of cyber security products.
