The Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that it’s trying to hire back fired employees who’d been working on the government’s response to bird flu ― a growing outbreak that’s caused egg prices to soar, ravaged the livestock industry and killed one person in the U.S. so far.
The employees were fired as part of President Donald Trump’s program to gut the federal workforce ― an effort spearheaded by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, led by Trump ally Elon Musk, the richest man in the world.
The USDA now says it needs to reverse course and rehire people working to address bird flu, or highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
“Although several positions supporting HPAI were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters,” a USDA spokesperson said in a statement.
“USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service frontline positions are considered public safety positions, and we are continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission,” the statement continued.
Just days ago, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins boasted about DOGE’s gutting of the department. “I welcome DOGE’s efforts at USDA because we know that its work makes us better, stronger, faster, and more efficient,” said Rollins, who has virtually no professional experience working on agriculture and food policy. Her nomination was denounced by scientists in the agriculture space and reportedly came as a surprise to those in Trump’s orbit.
Part of DOGE’s strategy at the department, the USDA said Friday, includes “pursuing an aggressive plan to optimize its workforce by eliminating positions that are no longer necessary.”
the USDA has confirmed that the growing bird flu outbreak, which killed more than 20 million egg-laying chickens last quarter, is responsible for the soaring price of eggs. Over the weekend, the USDA reported that wholesale egg prices had risen by $0.40 in the past 30 days, putting the cost to distributors at $7.44 a dozen.
“Nice job Musk!” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the top Democrat on the Senate agriculture committee, posted on social media. “You and your friends will still get your tax breaks, but higher egg prices for everyone else.”
Maine Sen. Susan Collins, one of a handful of Republicans who regularly go up against Trump, told HuffPost’s Igor Bobic that DOGE needs to slow down because “they’re making mistakes.”
“This latest example of individuals who were studying bird flu being fired from the Department of Agriculture is a perfect example,” she said.
Bird flu has infected at least 68 people in the U.S. and led to one confirmed death last month.
Policies from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may also help propagate the spread of bird flu. The newly confirmed secretary of Health and Human Services, known for promoting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and other pseudoscientific propaganda, is a big proponent of unpasteurized raw milk despite its propensity for carrying bird flu and other diseases. In December, California forced the closure of a major unpasteurized raw milk producer after finding bird flu in its products.