Reps. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspector General in a Sept. 26 letter to investigate a proposed agency plan to move two USDA offices outside Washington, D.C.

“Essential questions regarding the legality of USDA’s proposal, the rationale for the potential move and the process used to develop this proposal remain unanswered, and we ask that you conduct a detailed analysis of each of these issues,” Hoyer and Norton wrote.

The proposed move, announced Aug. 13, as a measure to cut rent and employment costs while bringing services closer to constituents in other parts of the country, would relocate the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to new and potentially collocated offices.

Lawmakers, former government officials and private-sector organizations have criticized the planned move, claiming that the disruption to individual employees and research could potentially jeopardize operations of those offices.

But Hoyer and Norton questioned whether USDA even had the authority to make such a move.

“Even if the USDA’s leasing authority would provide adequate legal authority for a long-term lease agreement, a much larger question surrounds whether the USDA has the budget authority to proceed with this move,” the congressmen wrote.

“Section 717(a) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 prohibits the expenditure of funds for the relocation of an office or employees or the reorganization of offices, programs or activities unless the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are given written notice and grant approval 30 days before funds are reprogrammed for those purposes. The Government Accountability Office has issued a report that makes clear that several federal agencies have incorrectly determined that their independent real estate lease authority grants them the ability to sign long-term lease agreements without accompanying budget authority. We believe that the USDA may be similarly mistaken.”

The congressmen also questioned whether USDA has conducted an adequate cost-benefit analysis, particularly considering the chance that a significant number of employees at the two offices may choose to leave their jobs rather than move.

“Given this sweeping change in prior policy, we request that you examine whether the USDA has the legal and budget authority to execute the relocation and reorganization of these two important agencies without additional authority being provided by Congress. We also request a determination regarding the sufficiency of the cost-benefit analysis used to pursue this drastic change in policy,” the congressmen wrote, requesting that the IG reply within 30 days.

Jessie Bur covers federal IT and management.

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