The Trump administration unveiled a $1 billion plan Wednesday to combat the avian flu outbreak and stabilize soaring egg prices, but the effort is being hindered by the administration’s own mass firings at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In its push to slash government spending, the administration terminated roughly a quarter of employees in critical bird flu testing and research offices, leading to a partial shutdown of a USDA research facility. Now, efforts to rehire essential workers have run into delays and logistical challenges, with some reinstated employees still lacking laptops or receiving emails urging them to accept deferred resignations.
One USDA employee warned that the uncertainty around federal jobs could have lasting consequences: “I don’t know if people are going to want to come back.”
Meanwhile, bird flu has spread beyond poultry, infecting dairy herds in more than a dozen states, making USDA’s staffing crisis even more urgent. Research facilities remain partially inoperable, with reports of a fire at a lab due to missing technicians.
Critics argue that the administration’s hasty firings have jeopardized millions in research funding and crippled disease response efforts at a crucial time.
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