- The Trump administration is trying to rehire employees with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), who worked on the federal response to bird flu, after firing them over the weekend. The terminations were reportedly part of a cost-cutting effort across government agencies by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
- The layoffs come amid the latest outbreak of H5N1, which is devastating poultry and cattle farms, leading to soaring egg prices and sparking concerns among public health officials.
- A USDA spokesperson told the BBC that while “several” officials working on the bird flu response were “notified of their terminations” over the weekend, the agency is “working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters.”
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As concerns over bird flu rise, the Trump administration is now trying to rehire employees with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), who worked on the federal response to the virus, after firing them over the weekend.
Why were the USDA officials fired?
The terminations were reportedly part of a cost-cutting effort across government agencies by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
What’s the latest on the bird flu outbreak?
The layoffs come amid the latest outbreak of H5N1 impacting poultry and cattle farms, leading to rising egg prices and sparking concerns among public health officials.
A USDA spokesperson told the BBC that while “several” officials working on the bird flu response team were “notified of their terminations” over the weekend, the agency is “working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters.”
Bird flu began spreading in the United States last year, infecting dairy cows before dozens of people in close contact with livestock became infected as well.
A Louisiana patient became the first person in the U.S. to die from the virus last month.
How does it play into the bigger picture?
As Straight Arrow News recently reported, there are also new concerns that the virus may be spreading partly because of winds picking up infected bird feces and blowing them into nearby farms.
The outbreak is also forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens, leading to egg shortages and high prices for American consumers.
What is DOGE’s goal?
Trump said he launched DOGE to see where government waste can be cut, and some 75,000 federal workers have accepted buyout offers from the administration to leave voluntarily.
Has this happened before?
The USDA terminations are not the first time the White House has tried to rehire federal workers days after firing them. After laying off officials with the National Nuclear Security Administration last week, the White House was trying to reinstate some of those employees but was struggling to contact them.
