Federal Agencies Are Rushing to Relocate Hundreds of Workers This Summer, and Employees Say the Moves Are Chaotic

Federal agencies are rushing to relocate hundreds of workers this summer, and employees say the moves are chaotic and disruptive. Daniel Kim, a structural engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said uncertainty about the planned relocation of the agency's New York District headquarters has already driven experienced staff to leave. NASA, which occupied several floors of a Manhattan office rented from Columbia University for over five decades, was abruptly forced out last year by the Trump administration to save money, officials said.

This year, employees are being moved into new spaces, yet the government continues to pay millions annually for the old, now-empty floors. The relocation effort spans at least six federal agencies and aims to reduce the government's real estate footprint, cut costs, and decentralize operations away from Washington, D.C. But an NPR review of public records shows the moves are costing money and are poorly coordinated, causing work disruptions. Two legal complaints filed in July allege the relocations violate laws requiring congressional authorization.

Steve Gutierrez, a representative with the National Federation of Federal Employees, said, "You're not supposed to be doing this. But oversight [in Congress] hasn't done anything about it. NASA employees formerly based at Columbia, where they collaborated with faculty, were told to report to four new locations across New York City by August, emails show.

The government still pays more than $2.5 million annually to rent the five empty floors, with the lease running until 2031. "Now they're paying this extra money for us to have seats so that we can return to office, said a current NASA employee. "It made zero sense. Employees requested anonymity for fear of retribution.

The U.S. Forest Service, part of the Department of Agriculture, is also affected. In April, Forest Service Chief Tom Schulz said moves would wait until after wildfire season, when employees coordinating fire response are busiest. "We do not anticipate moving any of the field personnel in any fashion until after the fire season, he said.

Yet on July 22, as wildfires spread across multiple states, Schulz emailed staff that reorganization would begin that week. The USDA confirmed about 600 employees would receive updated assignments by August 20, with roughly 75 possibly relocating, but did not explain the timing. Gutierrez said, "You said you weren't going to do this until end of fire season, and now you're doing [it] in the middle of fire season.

In February, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced moving employees who administer SNAP from a building in Alexandria, Va., where the government pays over $4 million a year in rent. Rollins called it a "long overdue move to protect American taxpayer dollars, but the lease doesn't expire until 2034.