Trump administration cuts FDA staff handling bird flu outbreaks
Federal regulators were responsible for recalling pet food contaminated with bird flu, which killed household cats.
- The Trump administration fired about 140 employees from the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, including leadership and administrative staff.
- The cuts are part of a larger effort to reduce the size of the Department of Health and Human Services and streamline its functions.
- Critics argue that the cuts will hamper the FDA's ability to respond to animal disease outbreaks, including bird flu, and protect public health.
The Trump administration has fired Food and Drug Administration employees responsible for the federal response to the ongoing bird flu outbreaks, according to former staff and professional groups.
On Tuesday, leadership and administrative staff at the Center for Veterinary Medicine were among about 140 staff members fired as part of a larger "reduction in force" in the 700-person agency, according to two sources with first-hand knowledge.
The center regulates animal drugs, food and medical devices has played a key role in limiting the spread of the virus to protect people, pets and farm animals.
Potential benefits and consequences
In response to questions about cuts to FDA, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson referred to public statements and a fact sheet from the agency and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
HHS, which is expected to shrink from 82,000 employees to 62,000, needed to be pared back to "streamline the functions of the Department," reduce redundancy and focus on addressing chronic illnesses, according to the administration. Neither the statements nor the fact sheet addressed cuts to the bird flu response.
The fact sheet, dated March 27, said HHS would trim FDA's workforce by approximately 3,500 full-time employees. The job eliminations would not affect drug, medical device or food reviewers, nor would they affect inspectors, the fact sheet said.
But in a statement, Dr. Sandra Faeh, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, said the personnel cuts would limit the agency's ability to oversee drug availability, antimicrobial resistance efforts, animal and human food safety, international trade and disease control ‒ which includes, but is not limited to, bird flu.
“The work done by our veterinarian colleagues in these offices is critical to the safe and effective practice of veterinary medicine, and – ultimately – the protection of animal and public health,” Faeh said.
In February, the Trump administration reportedly began hiring back several Department of Agriculture officials tasked with responding to bird flu, who were fired accidentally.
FDA's role in controlling bird flu
Along with regulating consumer products, including pet food, the FDA provides approvals for vaccines and tests that are critical to the federal bird flu response. The agency has worked in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the USDA to combat bird flu’s rapid spread across the U.S.
Over the last three years, nearly 170 million chickens have died or been put to death amid outbreaks, including among commercial and backyard flocks, according to CDC data. The spread among poultry farms has driven up egg prices for American consumers. Dairy farms have also seen the rapid spread of bird flu.
About 70 people have been sickened by bird flu, mainly poultry and dairy workers, CDC data shows. In January, a person in Louisiana became the first person to die from bird flu in the U.S., apparently from a backyard flock.
Center loses its head and body
A veterinarian at FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine received notice of termination in a brief email shortly after 5 a.m. Tuesday.
In an interview with Paste BN, the veterinarian, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, described the cuts as losing the center’s head and body, including its most senior leaders, coordinators and officials with institutional knowledge. The arms and legs left over include some subject-matter experts, said the veterinarian who worked at the center for 17 years.
As a result, the center is losing its structure and ability to respond to issues in real time, said the veterinarian, a single parent of three children. This includes limiting ongoing bird flu outbreaks by preventing contaminated food from sickening household cats that could then expose people in their own homes, the veterinarian said.
Federal regulators have issued pet food recalls after bird flu was detected in products. In recent months, several cats have died after eating raw food containing bird flu.
In a statement, Dr. Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog nonprofit, said the cuts across FDA were “arbitrary" and "sweeping." They would devastate the agency's ability to communicate about and prevent foodborne outbreaks, ban dangerous chemicals and ensure safety and effectiveness of medical products, he said.
“This is not transparent, efficient, or effective government: It’s creating fear and chaos,” he said.