Dear USDA colleagues, 

The holidays are a festive time of the year when families, friends, and loved ones come together and look ahead to a new year filled with joy, opportunity and meaningful connections with a renewed spirit. Whether you celebrate Channukah (12/18-12/26), the Winter Solstice (12/21), Noche Buena (12/24), Christmas (12/25), Kwanzaa (12/26-01/01), the New Year (01/01), or other special celebrations, we wish you a happy holiday season. And a happy birthday to those of you who were born during the holiday season. We celebrate with you. 

We extend our sincere thanks for your continued collaboration, cooperation, and support over the past year. Each of you helps USDA achieve our common goals—ensuring the health and safety of the American people, improving services and operations, and implementing the priorities of our democratically elected government. You are the foundation of this department, and your continued, active civic engagement contributes significantly to the progress and advancement of our department and our nation. 

In the spirit of the season, we commend all those employees who have made a special effort to give back to the communities we serve and to our customers. This includes everyone making contributions to the Combined Federal Campaign as well as those of you who find other ways to give back. The holidays are a time to remember to be charitable in our hearts—for the season and throughout the year. By doing so, you are spreading goodwill throughout our community with open and generous hearts. 

In the spirit of gratitude and recognition, we invite you to nominate one of your top-performing colleagues for their noteworthy efforts and achievements over the past year. Nominations for the 2023 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals are open now and will close on Jan. 13, 2023. Also known as “the Sammies” and considered the Oscars of federal government, these awards highlight an employee’s significant contributions to public service. For more information and to nominate a colleague, please visit Service to America Medals. Recognition for the work our employees do should continue year-round. We encourage you to think of ways to show how much you value one another and your teams in meaningful ways. 

In recognition of your achievements and commitment to public service, we are pleased to announce that as secretary, I authorize eight (8) total hours of administrative leave for employees that can be used between now and Jan. 28, 2023.

• Employees should code their timesheet using “66–Admin/Excused Absence” (WebTA) or “TC-66 Other Leave” (Paycheck8).
• Employees and their supervisor should identify time to use the 8 hours of administrative leave before Jan. 28, 2023. The 8 hours do not need to be used on the same day and may be combined with other leave, but the total amount must be used by Jan. 28, 2023.
• Leave may only be charged during an employee’s scheduled tour of duty. Employees in a continuous period of non-pay status may not be placed in a pay status solely to receive 8 hours administrative leave for an early release. If employees are in a “use-or-lose” situation, the 8 hours do not constitute an exigency of public business and does not qualify to have annual leave restored.
• Supervisors should speak with their direct reports and leadership to maximize opportunities for participation by employees wherever operational feasible. 

We encourage each of you to take some time to unwind and spend quality time with your family and friends. From our families to yours—we wish you health and happiness into the new year.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack
Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh

See this and other announcements on OneUSDA.