Rollins says USDA is 'full-bore ahead' on Forest Service move despite judge's order

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Thursday that the Trump administration remains "full-bore ahead" with a sweeping reorganization of the Forest Service and other agencies. She spoke a little over a week after a federal judge blocked the changes. ¹

The plan would move Forest Service headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City and shut 23 research stations. It would also close many regional offices and replace them with state offices. It is part of a wider realignment at the Agriculture Department that would change food and nutrition and rural development programs. ¹

We are full-bore ahead in the reorganization,

Rollins spoke to reporters on a conference call after an announcement on fertilizer production. The plan is stalled under a court order, and that order is already under appeal. ¹

What the judge found

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in California issued the order on Oct. 13. It halts the reorganization while a lawsuit from opponents moves through the courts. ¹

If implemented, the planned reorganization activities will likely put thousands of USDA employees to the choice of relocating far from their current home — often to a different state — or losing their job,

The judge also said the administration likely violated congressional limits on spending money that was meant for other purposes. ¹ Another report says his ruling found the most appropriate remedy is to stay the department's reorganization spending entirely. ²

The order is not permanent. Congress has about two months to decide whether to extend the restrictions. ²

Who is on each side

Federal employee unions, environmental groups and local officials in California, Maryland and Washington state are trying to stop the plan. They say moving employees is a way to force out workers who cannot or will not relocate, in pursuit of deep workforce cuts. ¹

Administration officials say the plan will trim costs and put resources in Western states, which hold nearly 90% of national forest land. ¹ Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, called the new headquarters "a big win for Utah and the West." ¹

The National Federation of Federal Employees, a union, said a survey of its members found a large majority opposed the plan. Most said they were unwilling to relocate. ¹

Why it matters

The Forest Service workforce has already fallen 16% under President Donald Trump. It went from more than 39,000 employees at the start of his second term to 33,000 this year, according to government data. ¹

Trump also wants to take wildfire fighting away from the Forest Service. He would give that job to a newly created federal Wildland Fire Service. ¹ The administration last month backed off one piece of its plan. It said 41 research facilities that had faced possible closure would stay open, but almost two dozen research stations are still slated to close. ¹

That matters because court orders are not suggestions. Rollins's remarks signal that the administration plans to keep pursuing the plan through the appeal rather than accept the ruling. Whether the department is actually spending money on the plan in the meantime is a question the court and Congress may have to answer. The AP did not report that it is.

There is a precedent. Trump moved the Bureau of Land Management to Colorado in his first term, citing similar reasons. The Biden administration moved it back to Washington after two years. ¹

What happens next

The appeal of Chhabria's order is pending, and the lawsuit continues. ¹ Congress has about two months to decide whether to extend the restrictions. ²

The Record

1. Sep 30, 2026The administration said in September that 41 research facilities facing possible closure would stay open, while almost two dozen stations were still slated to close. ¹
2. Oct 13, 2026Judge Vince Chhabria halted the USDA reorganization while a lawsuit proceeds. ¹
3. Oct 22, 2026Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the administration remains "full-bore ahead" despite the ruling. ¹

Sources

1. ABC News (AP), “Agriculture secretary says agency is "full-bore ahead" on Forest Service reorganization” (2026-10-22). abcnews.com/US/wireStory/agriculture-secretary-agency-full-b
2. KUNC (Utah Public Radio), “A federal judge blocks sweeping changes to the Forest Service, at least for now” (2026-10-17). kunc.org/regional-news/2026-10-17/a-federal-judge-blocks-swe

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