Dear USDA Colleagues,

Thank you to the thousands of you who were able to join our all-employee town hall earlier this week. We would like to also extend a special thanks to Donald Graham (Forest Service), Julio Puentes (Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement), Kathryn Tapp (Food Safety and Inspection Service), Ryan Scott (Foreign Agricultural Service) and Sarah Chan (Natural Resources Conservation Service), who shared their stories of working at USDA and underscored why the work of the People’s Department is so meaningful.

As we discussed at the town hall, annual funding for much of the government expires on Sept. 30. At this point, there is still time for Congress to complete appropriations for fiscal year 2024.

Still, prudent management requires that we prepare for all contingencies, including the possibility that a lapse in funding could occur. A lapse would mean that certain government activities would cease due to a lack of appropriated funding. To prepare for this possibility, we are working to update our contingency plans for executing an orderly shutdown of activities that would be affected by a lapse in appropriations. During a lapse, designated, pre-notified employees of this agency would be temporarily furloughed. After the lapse ends, furloughed and excepted employees will receive retroactive pay for the furlough period as soon as possible.

It is not lost on us that a delay in pay is a hardship, and that all of this uncertainty can be unsettling. We will share more information through OHRM and supervisors as the situation develops. Thank you for patience, and above all, thank you for your remarkable commitment and service every day on behalf of USDA and the American people.

In gratitude,

Tom Vilsack 
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

Xochitl Torres Small
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture

See this and other announcements on OneUSDA.