FDA Bird Flu Response Undermined by Mass Layoffs in Trump Administration Restructuring

Leadership and administrative staff cuts at the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine disrupt critical efforts to manage the ongoing H5N1 outbreak, raising public health and safety concerns.

• The Trump administration has laid off 140 staff members from the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, including nearly all leadership and administrative personnel, as part of broader cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services.
• These layoffs have severely disrupted the FDA's ability to oversee bird flu testing, manage pet food recalls, and coordinate responses with other federal agencies such as the CDC and USDA.
• The H5N1 bird flu outbreak, ongoing since 2022, has killed nearly 170 million birds in the U.S., driven up egg prices, and resulted in nearly 70 reported human cases, including one fatality earlier this year.
• Critics argue that the cuts will hinder efforts to track and contain the virus, as well as delay the development of testing infrastructure and disease-resistant solutions for animals.
• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has defended the layoffs as part of a plan to streamline HHS, but experts warn the reductions could compromise the nation's ability to address current and future public health emergencies.

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