Dear USDA Family,

As we turn the page into the new Fiscal Year, our senior leadership team, Deputy Secretary Bronaugh and I want to express sincere appreciation to all employees across the Department. We thank you for your hard work, high standards, diligence, and commitment to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) vital mission over the past year. We hope you can take a moment to reflect on and celebrate all your hard work and achievements as public servants.

Your spirit of service and steadfast dedication towards making USDA the best place to work has been evident this year despite the challenges we have faced. You play an indispensable role at USDA and together we have an incredible story to tell about our efforts for the American people and for many across the globe. Over the past few months, you have worked hard to ensure the effective and efficient operations of our organization - from obligating millions of programmatic funds to meeting our contracting and procurement goals; from engaging in meaningful end-of-year performance reviews to managing our budgets with integrity and transparency.

We recognize your tremendous efforts, and the impact USDA had on the lives of many throughout Fiscal Year 2022, and we look forward to building on that momentum as we head into Fiscal Year 2023.

In honor of your contributions, I extend a sincere thank you and authorize a 2-hour early release on Tuesday, October 4th, 2022. I have included guidance below for our essential employees and others who may not be able to participate on Tuesday—to ensure you also benefit. Thank you for your hard work, your patience, and your dedication. Let’s ring in the new “fiscal” year with pride.

With much appreciation,

Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack, Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh,
and the entire USDA senior leadership team

Terms for Using Early Release Leave

• Employees should code their timesheet using “66 – Admin/Excused Absence” (WebTA) or “TC-66 Other Leave” (Paycheck8).
• Employees who are required by their supervisor to work on Tuesday, October 4th, due to mission critical needs will code their timesheet as normal, “01 – Regular Base Pay.”
• If employees are unable to participate in the early departure on Tuesday, October 4th because their supervisor has directed them to continue working due to mission critical needs; or if Tuesday is a non-workday; or if the employee is on preapproved paid leave on Tuesday, then they may use the two hours on a different day. Employees must work directly with their supervisor to identify another day within the current pay period, or within the next two pay periods (October 9 to November 5) to use the two-hour release authorization. The two 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 November 5, 2022.

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 two-hours administrative leave for an early release. If employees are in a “use-or-lose” situation, the two hours do not constitute an exigency of public business and does not qualify to have annual leave restored.