Trump administration dismissals impact crucial office managing bird flu response
The USDA's National Animal Health Laboratory Network program office is experiencing layoffs coinciding with record-high egg prices and a worsening outbreak.
TroibNews 
On Friday, laboratories within a national network of 58 facilities addressing the spread of bird flu learned that 25 percent of the staff in a key program office coordinating their efforts had been terminated due to mass layoffs of federal employees initiated during the Trump administration.
The USDA's National Animal Health Laboratory Network program office, which has a staff of just 14, plays a crucial role in responding to animal disease outbreaks. This office is responsible for data management and ensuring consistency in testing and protocols across laboratories nationwide to effectively monitor and manage animal diseases.
Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, conveyed that testing and other responses to the H5N1 outbreak would slow down following the layoffs. “They’re the front line of surveillance for the entire outbreak,” Poulsen said. “They’re already underwater and they are constantly short-staffed, so if you take all the probationary staff out, you’ll take out the capacity to do the work.”
A request for comment from the USDA went unanswered. The impact of these layoffs could also extend to the department's efforts in addressing diseases such as African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease.
Since the current avian influenza outbreak began in 2022, it has resulted in the deaths of over 100 million birds, with 22 million reported in just the past 30 days, according to the latest data from the USDA. In the last year, the virus has spread to dairy cattle, having infected a significant portion of California’s herds and triggered outbreaks in more than a dozen states.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has confirmed a third spillover event, which refers to a new strain of the virus infecting another species, in dairy cattle in Arizona, further indicating that the H5N1 virus is not yet controlled nationwide.
As a result of the outbreak, egg prices have surged to a record high of $4.95 per dozen, contributing to shortages in some grocery stores.
Brooke Rollins, newly appointed as secretary of Agriculture and sworn in this week, mentioned that she convened a meeting about bird flu on her first day in office, although it remains uncertain whether the layoffs were part of that discussion.
The Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to downsize the federal government have led to notices of job loss for thousands of USDA employees across various agencies, the majority of whom are recent hires.
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
The USDA's National Animal Health Laboratory Network program office, which has a staff of just 14, plays a crucial role in responding to animal disease outbreaks. This office is responsible for data management and ensuring consistency in testing and protocols across laboratories nationwide to effectively monitor and manage animal diseases.
Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, conveyed that testing and other responses to the H5N1 outbreak would slow down following the layoffs. “They’re the front line of surveillance for the entire outbreak,” Poulsen said. “They’re already underwater and they are constantly short-staffed, so if you take all the probationary staff out, you’ll take out the capacity to do the work.”
A request for comment from the USDA went unanswered. The impact of these layoffs could also extend to the department's efforts in addressing diseases such as African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease.
Since the current avian influenza outbreak began in 2022, it has resulted in the deaths of over 100 million birds, with 22 million reported in just the past 30 days, according to the latest data from the USDA. In the last year, the virus has spread to dairy cattle, having infected a significant portion of California’s herds and triggered outbreaks in more than a dozen states.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has confirmed a third spillover event, which refers to a new strain of the virus infecting another species, in dairy cattle in Arizona, further indicating that the H5N1 virus is not yet controlled nationwide.
As a result of the outbreak, egg prices have surged to a record high of $4.95 per dozen, contributing to shortages in some grocery stores.
Brooke Rollins, newly appointed as secretary of Agriculture and sworn in this week, mentioned that she convened a meeting about bird flu on her first day in office, although it remains uncertain whether the layoffs were part of that discussion.
The Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to downsize the federal government have led to notices of job loss for thousands of USDA employees across various agencies, the majority of whom are recent hires.
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
