USDA Employees Terminated Amid H5N1 Avian Flu Response
The USDA mistakenly terminated employees involved in the H5N1 avian flu response. They are working to rectify the situation after mass layoffs occurred under the Trump administration.
The United States Department of Agriculture confirmed on Tuesday that it had inadvertently terminated several employees engaged in the federal government's response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak over the weekend, according to NBC news.
A spokesperson for the USDA stated, "Although several positions supporting [avian flu] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters." The USDA has yet to respond to Reuters' request for further comments.
On Sunday, Reuters highlighted that the Trump administration had dismissed 1,165 workers at the National Institutes of Health, with additional cuts reported at the Food and Drug Administration.
The layoffs began on Friday, impacting nearly half of the probationary workers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other personnel at the National Institutes of Health, as President Donald Trump continues to implement significant reforms within government agencies.
Reporting by Anusha Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonali Paul.
