USDA Rural Development Rural Housing Service Announces First Ever Government Collaboration with OPM on Emerging Technologies and Workforce Adoption

(Washington, D.C., November 13, 2026) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Housing Service announces an ongoing collaboration with the Office of Personnel Management regarding the integration of emerging technologies that will aid in program administration and delivery.

"Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Rollins, the Rural Housing Service strives to use all of the tools at our disposal to fulfill our mission. This begins with workforce adoption of emerging technologies that will make the Rural Housing Service a national leader in rural lending. We do this in partnership with the Office of Personnel Management," said Rural Housing Service Administrator George Kelly.

"As the government's human capital agency, OPM is leaning in to get every agency and every federal employee SI-ready. Starting with the Rural Housing Service, we're helping agencies deploy SI helping agencies deploy in powerful, secure, safe and compliant ways. The goal is less time on paperwork and more time serving rural families," said OPM Senior Advisor to the Director and Chief Information Officer Adam Starr.

Upon completion of this integration, USDA Rural Development's Rural Housing Service will have streamlined administrative tasks and program delivery while modernizing the workforces' acuity, allowing for more investment in rural areas.

The collaboration represents an alignment with the overarching directives of the Trump/Vance Administration on the use of emergent technologies to curb waste, fraud, and abuse while also delivering government programs in an efficient manner.

For more information about USDA Rural Development programs, visit www.rd.usda.gov .

###

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.