联邦法官叫停农业部重组计划：裁定部方不得挪用国会拨款关停办公室、迁走雇员
美国加利福尼亚北区联邦地区法院法官文斯·查布里亚（Vince Chhabria）10月13日裁定，禁止美国农业部推进其机构重组计划，对特朗普政府全面改革行政部门的行动再添一重司法阻力。据路透社10月14日报道，这项裁定是提起诉讼的工会一方取得的胜利。
裁定叫停了农业部多个下属机构的重组行动，包括农业研究局、林业局以及食品与营养管理局等。查布里亚在裁定中写道，农业部把国会拨款「改作他用」——将资金挪用于不同于原定目的的开支；他写道：「国会从未设想农业部动用其拨款来关停办公室或迁置雇员。」
按照农业部的重组方案，约2,600名雇员将被迁出华盛顿地区，农业部在全国各地的办公室也将进行整合。工会方面提起诉讼要求叫停，理由之一是雇员警告，大规模人员流失将危及农业部在贸易、对外援助和营养等领域的项目运作。
农业部发言人回应称：「本部正在研究法官的裁决，并将向法院提交回应。」代表联邦及地方政府雇员的美国州县市政雇员联合会主席帕特里克·莫兰在声明中表示，政府试图「掏空」这个重要机构的做法明显违法，工会感谢法院暂时叫停这一「鲁莽的计划」。
这是特朗普政府推进联邦机构改革过程中近期遭遇的又一起法院叫停。此前，联邦法院已就政府其他部门的人员与机构调整作出多项不利于政府的裁定或禁令。
Federal Judge Blocks USDA Reorganization, Ruling Agency Cannot Repurpose Congressional Funds to Close Offices or Relocate Staff
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture from proceeding with its planned agency reorganization, in another legal setback for President Donald Trump's sweeping overhaul of the executive branch, Reuters reported on October 14.
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California halted reorganization efforts at several USDA agencies, including the Agricultural Research Service, the Forest Service and the Food and Nutrition Service. Chhabria wrote that the department was "reprogramming" congressional funds — using money for a different purpose than it was intended. "Congress did not contemplate USDA using its appropriated funds to shut down offices or relocate employees," he wrote.
The reorganization plan sought to move about 2,600 employees out of the Washington region and to consolidate agency offices across the country. Unions sued to block the effort, in part because employees warned that wide-scale departures risked programs involving trade, foreign aid and nutrition.
A USDA spokesperson said, "The Department is reviewing the Judge's decision and will file its response with the Court." Patrick Moran, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said in a statement that the administration's attempt to gut the agency was "blatantly illegal" and that the union was thankful the court had stopped it, for now, from proceeding with what he called a reckless plan.
图片来源：图：美国农业部总部惠滕大楼，位于华盛顿特区（资料图）。美国农业部／Wikimedia Commons，公共领域
