Trump Administration Tries To Hire Back USDA Employees Working On Bird Flu Outbreak Fired By DOGE As Egg Prices Skyrocket

The U.S. Department of Agriculture struggled to rehire workers who were involved in the government’s response to the ongoing bird flu outbreak that has recently impacted the poultry industry. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the layoffs in USDA on Feb. 14. 

On Friday, the USDA publicly announced “the first tranche in a series of bold reforms,” including “an aggressive plan to optimize its workforce by eliminating positions that are no longer necessary,” in line with the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Within days, the agency has sought to reverse firings related to its handling of avian influenza.

Tens of thousands of federal government workers, including those at the USDA and other health agencies, have been informed that they will be losing their jobs. This comes as part of a broader wave of layoffs and firings, with more expected in the near future as Elon Musk leads DOGE to streamline processes and reduce waste in part by drastically slashing the federal workforce.

“Although several positions supporting [bird flu efforts] 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.”

Musk recently admitted that DOGE fired employees working on Ebola outbreak response.

Several job categories, including veterinarians and animal health technicians, have been “exempted from the recent personnel actions” to support those efforts. The USDA also said it is “continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission.”

The administration also worked to notify some nuclear safety employees who were fired last Friday that they are now due to be reinstated, but they struggled to find them because they didn’t have their new contact information. The firings within the USDA come as the avian virus has decimated poultry flocks and caused egg prices to skyrocket. 

Multiple agencies within the Department of Agriculture are involved in responding to the outbreak, such as the Agricultural Research Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Some of the layoffs from the Trump administration affected the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, which researches avian flu.

The layoffs concerned several Republican lawmakers, who warned the Trump administration that such cuts could hinder the government’s bird flu response and asked them to reconsider.

“They need to be more cautious,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), a member of the Agriculture Committee, told NBC News, referencing the DOGE team. “There’s an old saying, ‘Measure twice, cut once.’ Well, they are measuring once and having to cut twice. Some of this stuff they’re going to have to return. I just wish they’d make a better decision up front.”

DOGE employees have been given access to confidential taxpayer data without security clearances, alarming ethics experts.