USDA fired officials working on bird flu, now trying to rehire them
The USDA mistakenly terminated employees crucial to the H5N1 avian flu response and is working to rehire them amid concerns about the impact on public safety and poultry losses.
Read original article
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it mistakenly terminated several employees involved in the federal response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak. The agency is working to reverse these firings swiftly, emphasizing the importance of these positions for public safety and food supply. The USDA spokesperson stated that the agency continues to prioritize its response to the highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has significantly impacted poultry flocks and driven up egg prices. The recent layoffs have raised concerns among Republican lawmakers, who fear that such cuts could hinder the government's ability to combat the bird flu effectively. The USDA has faced criticism for its lack of communication regarding the layoffs, which have also affected researchers working on avian flu. The situation is compounded by the broader context of mass firings across the federal government under the Trump administration, which has been criticized for its approach to workforce reductions. As of now, 151 confirmed flocks have been affected, impacting 23 million birds, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 68 human cases of the virus in the U.S.
- USDA accidentally fired officials working on bird flu response.
- The agency is attempting to rehire the terminated employees.
- Concerns raised by lawmakers about the impact of layoffs on avian flu efforts.
- The bird flu outbreak has led to significant poultry losses and rising egg prices.
- The situation reflects broader workforce reductions under the Trump administration.
Related
CO poultry workers test positive for bird flu after outbreak at egg facility
Three Colorado poultry workers tested positive for bird flu amid an outbreak affecting over 6 million birds. The state declared a disaster emergency, with the CDC investigating. Public advised on safety measures.
Bird flu begins its human spread
H5N1 bird flu is spreading among U.S. farms, with many dairy workers having undetected infections. The CDC recommends testing and PPE, but challenges persist, affecting over 100 million birds.
How the U.S. Lost Control of Bird Flu, Setting the Stage for Another Pandemic
The bird flu outbreak in the U.S. has affected 860 herds across 16 states, causing economic losses and over 60 human infections, raising concerns about a potential pandemic and health security weaknesses.
Bird Flu Has Spread Out of Control After Mistakes by USDA and Industry
The U.S. bird flu outbreak has affected 860 herds in 16 states, infected over 60 people, and raised concerns about potential mutation, highlighting weaknesses in health security and response strategies.
First outbreak of rare bird flu strain reported at California poultry farm
The first U.S. outbreak of the rare H5N9 bird flu has been confirmed in California, leading to the culling of nearly 119,000 birds and rising egg prices amid ongoing surveillance.
13 commentsYou hear stories like people being fired from their public service jobs, then being hired by the consulting firm and being back the next week, now with the consulting firm charging more than double what they were paid before for their time - and they're doing the exact same job they were doing...
> The layoffs concerned a number of Republican lawmakers, who privately warned the Trump administration that such cuts could hamper the government’s bird flu response and asked them to reconsider, according to two Republican sources with direct knowledge of the situation.
This is so infuriating - "privately". You know a good chunk of Republicans in Congress are educated people aware these many of these cuts are a mix of illegal, unconstitutional or dangerous to national security. But for the sake of their reelection campaign two years from now they're rolling over and ceding any oversight authority they have.
Show a spine, if you're going to give all your Branch's power to a dictator you might as well let DOGE dissolve congress and save us the salaries.
But hey, the site is still running. So, success.
What could go wrong
I got a "yes" to this twice. One of those, double the pay I was hired for for 2 years.
You'd think they'd get better at this. How many times has Trump/Musk made idiotic decisions to fire people? The nuclear safety inspectors (and rumored, some nuclear weapons experts) they fired was ... last week?
https://time.com/7225798/doge-fires-national-nuclear-securit...
Morons.
My guess is, departments don't want layoffs, but they don't want to contradict the higher-ups either, so they fire and rehire.
this can work because DOGE only has administrative power and cannot decide the budget, only those who can decide on departmental budgets truly have the power to influence the size of the department
btw, i just found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zfzCjHCTmo
Related
CO poultry workers test positive for bird flu after outbreak at egg facility
Three Colorado poultry workers tested positive for bird flu amid an outbreak affecting over 6 million birds. The state declared a disaster emergency, with the CDC investigating. Public advised on safety measures.
Bird flu begins its human spread
H5N1 bird flu is spreading among U.S. farms, with many dairy workers having undetected infections. The CDC recommends testing and PPE, but challenges persist, affecting over 100 million birds.
How the U.S. Lost Control of Bird Flu, Setting the Stage for Another Pandemic
The bird flu outbreak in the U.S. has affected 860 herds across 16 states, causing economic losses and over 60 human infections, raising concerns about a potential pandemic and health security weaknesses.
Bird Flu Has Spread Out of Control After Mistakes by USDA and Industry
The U.S. bird flu outbreak has affected 860 herds in 16 states, infected over 60 people, and raised concerns about potential mutation, highlighting weaknesses in health security and response strategies.
First outbreak of rare bird flu strain reported at California poultry farm
The first U.S. outbreak of the rare H5N9 bird flu has been confirmed in California, leading to the culling of nearly 119,000 birds and rising egg prices amid ongoing surveillance.