USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them
In a statement, an Agriculture Department spokesperson told NBC News that officials are "working to swiftly rectify the situation."
www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog…— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur.bsky.social) February 18, 2025 at 6:00 PM
… “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.”
The spokesperson noted that several agency positions were already exempted from the sweeping cuts President Donald Trump’s administration is making across the federal government, adding that the Agriculture Department “continues to prioritize the response to highly pathogenic avian influenza.”…
The latest episode comes as the virus has decimated poultry flocks and has sent egg prices soaring. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 68 cases among humans in the U.S. so far. On her first day in office, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins convened a panel on bird flu and “reviewed options for a comprehensive strategy to combat it,” the department said in a release.
Several agencies within the Agriculture Department play a role in responding to the outbreak, including the Agricultural Research Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. On Sunday, Politico reported that some of the Trump administration’s layoffs hit the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, which is involved in avian flu research…
Lawmakers had received little guidance from the administration about the recent program cuts and staff terminations at USDA, which sources said has frustrated Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee. The panel, which oversees the USDA, provided a briefing to its members over the weekend to try to provide some more clarity to lawmakers.
“They need to be more cautious,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a member of the Agriculture Committee, told NBC News of 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 back. I just wish they’d make a better decision up front.”…
[Our voters like seeing people suffer. But they don’t like being the ones suffering, okay?]
The Trump admin has "disrupted the response" to bird flu by withholding reports and canceling meetings with both Congress and state health officials, leading to confusion and concern among federal staff, states, veterinarians and health experts.
www.reuters.com/world/us/us-…— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Even though CDC recently allowed to resume publication of its weekly morbidity & mortality report, THREE studies on bird flu that had been scheduled to run in the journal are still being suppressed. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/…
— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) February 12, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Do you remember, during Covid, when Trump said that if you don't report the numbers, they will go down? kffhealthnews.org/news/article…
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec.bsky.social) February 15, 2025 at 2:25 AM
A scientific report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published Thursday shows some veterinarians who provide care for cattle were unknowingly infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus last year. https://t.co/g24YJ5zWBP
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 13, 2025
Belatedly noticed that #USDA updated cow herds today: +2 from California, and a Michigan herd that was confirmed on 1/21 but wasn't added then was put onto the list. Cumulative national total = 972 herds in 17 states. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po…
— Helen Branswell (@helenbranswell.bsky.social) February 17, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Bird flu confirmed in older Wyoming woman who likely had contact with infected flock at her home https://t.co/Rx4yrACIWI
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 15, 2025
#USDA has confirmed that the discovery of #H5N1 #birdflu in Arizona — found through bulk milk testing — does indeed represent a new spillover from wild birds into cows. This is the third time this has been observed to have happened. www.aphis.usda.gov/news/program…
— Helen Branswell (@helenbranswell.bsky.social) February 15, 2025 at 12:39 AM
I'll set aside that he thinks chicken farms are going to build high tech security perimeters against geese. If he's talking about bio-sec and anti-virals, maybe not an ideal time to be firing everyone at USDA and CDC.
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm.bsky.social) February 16, 2025 at 11:31 AM
This is the America y'all voted for. And this is the tip of the iceberg!
— Sam Fisher 90 ?????? (@samfisher90.bsky.social) February 15, 2025 at 2:05 PM
"Laboratories in a national network of 58 facilities responding to the spread of bird flu were notified Friday that 25% of the staff in a central program office coordinating their work were fired in the Trump administration’s mass layoffs of federal employees."
www.politico.com/news/2025/02…— BK. Titanji (@boghuma.bsky.social) February 17, 2025 at 11:53 AM
3. This #flu season marked a first since #Covid19 entered our world. Since late January, flu deaths have exceeded Covid deaths. #CDC estimates that so far this year there've been at least 29M flu illnesses, 370K hospitalizations & 16K deaths.
— Helen Branswell (@helenbranswell.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Last night's update: Nearly 1,000 new deaths https://t.co/a8eKMj0Qr8
— BNO News (@BNOFeed) February 17, 2025
Feb 18th update:
Previous WW data point corrected (I mentioned it looked wrong last week). Stable cases over the last 21 days, but will likely start declining again in the next couple of weeks. Current estimates:
🔸490,000 new infections/day
🔸~1 in 68 currently infected— JPWeiland (@jpweiland.bsky.social) February 18, 2025 at 7:16 PM
BREAKING; The Trump administration reversed plan to shut down govt website that ships free covid tests to households late Tuesday after we reported administration was preparing to end the program and was weighing costs of destroying or disposing of tens of millions of tests. https://t.co/WzM1W7S4Cy
— LenaSun (@bylenasun) February 19, 2025
======
Nearly 15% of #longCOVID patients have cardiovascular symptoms, most often chest pain
37 studies involving 3 million people suggests those with long #COVID are more likely to have chest pain, heart palpitations, and high blood pressure#COVID19 @CIDRAPhttps://t.co/fP3qHu1p85 pic.twitter.com/T3HCvqaJHl
— APPRISE (@APPRISE_network) February 18, 2025
Here's the link https://t.co/2HSPk4T59B pic.twitter.com/U6ZTCWtAVq
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) February 14, 2025
======
Centers for Disease Control cuts expected to devastate Epidemic Intelligence Service, a ‘crown jewel’ of public health in U.S
EIS officers investigate disease outbreaks and health threats in the U.S. and abroad
www.statnews.com/2025/02/14/t…— Peter Stefanovic (@peterstefanovic.bsky.social) February 15, 2025 at 6:06 AM
CDC source:
“We just had word that all our fellows and post doc staff are laid off effective immediately. The famous Epidemic Intelligence Service, aka the Disease Detectives, is no more. That’s 1260 staff.
They are calling this ‘Phase 1’.”— Lewis Kamb (@lewiskamb.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Infectious disease physician:
This so disheartening. We rely on the CDC for so many things the general public isn't even aware of. As an ID doc when we encounter or suspect rare pathogens we can sometimes only get diagnostic testing from the CDC.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202…— BK. Titanji (@boghuma.bsky.social) February 18, 2025 at 1:44 PM
On Friday night, HHS ordered CDC to take down all flu vaccine campaign materials from its website. Materials are starting to come down.
For example, a campaign explaining that flu shot can reduce flu severity from "wild to mild" is now offline. Left image is from Friday, right is now
Meanwhile…— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) February 16, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Flu hospitalization rates are higher so far this season than at the same point during each of the past FIFTEEN YEARS, at least
Chart shows Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network (FluSurv-NET) cumulative hospitalization data; red line is current (2024-2025) season
gis.cdc.gov/grasp/fluvie…— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) February 16, 2025 at 12:30 PM
It is really short-sighted and stupid to be gutting public health and outbreak surveillance capacity right now:
– H5N1 nationwide – uncontrolled
– TB in Kansas – largest U.S outbreak
– Measles in Texas – Expanding
– Seasonal flu – Worst in 15 years
– Pertussis – outbreaks in multiple states.— BK. Titanji (@boghuma.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Texas measles cases are up, and New Mexico now has an outbreak. Here's what you need to know https://t.co/MkX833qGk5
— Dr. Saskia Popescu (@SaskiaPopescu) February 19, 2025
The most shocking thing about this is that anyone took him at his word.
— Jess Calarco (@jessicacalarco.bsky.social) February 18, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Q: Did you say that COVID-19 was a genetically engineered bio-weapon spares Jews and Chinese people? Did you say that Lyme disease is a materially engineered bioweapon?
Trump’s new Health Secretary: I probably did say that pic.twitter.com/mJcU9Z1biU
— FactPost (@factpostnews) February 13, 2025
In 2019, RFK Jr visited Samoa to spread anti-vax lies, spurring a measles outbreak that led to the deaths of 83 people – mostly children.
We can’t let that tragedy repeat in Texas. The MMR vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles. Let’s stop the spread.
www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-m…— Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@repjasmine.bsky.social) February 18, 2025 at 1:51 PM
The measles outbreak in Texas is reminding me of the public letter Roald Dahl wrote about losing his daughter to measles in 1962, just before the vaccine was publicly available.
— ex-Lethality Jane (@lethalityjane.bsky.social) February 15, 2025 at 12:49 PM
This is remarkable. The last of 8 patients who tested positive for Ebola Sudan has been discharged. Now the 42 day count down to this outbreak being officially declared over is on.
Only 1 fatality is a remarkable feat.🤞
Kudos to front line responders in #Uganda
www.independent.co.uk/news/ebola-u…— BK. Titanji (@boghuma.bsky.social) February 18, 2025 at 12:03 PM
![On The Road - lashonharangue - Botswana - Boteti River [2 of 2] 5](https://balloon-juice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Photo-3-Copy-of-DSC02951-edit-80x80.jpg)
On The Road – lashonharangue – Botswana – Boteti River [2 of 2]
Baud
As God is my witness, I thought chickens could fly.
Rusty
I saw elsewhere the administration is considering withdrawing all mRNA Covid vaccines from approval based on conspiracy theories of their risks. A lot of people are going to be killed by Trump and the Republicans.
SpaceUnit
We’re so fucked.
David_C
Yesterday was the welcome reception for RFK, Jr. The pictures showed a lot of white people, which is unusual for an HHS gathering. We also learned who were the first to be let go. I’m seeing that there is a March for Science coming up.
The thing is that natural laws do not bend to our will, no matter how much money someone has.
Steve LaBonne
Make Americans Dead Again
David Collier-Brown
Hmmn, I can’t cancel this…
David Collier-Brown
I need an emergency, so I can rule unfettered.
I know! A bird flu pandemic!
Matt McIrvin
@David Collier-Brown: When COVID happened, the initial speculation ran to Trump using overbearing pandemic emergency restrictions to rule as a tyrant. Certainly it did shut down immigration, realizing Stephen Miller’s dreams. But Trump went in the opposite direction, disdaining emergency measures altogether and impeding his own health bureaucracy.
I think he intuited that that was the most divisive course of action and the one appealing to his most ignorant supporters, which he always takes. He also resented that Anthony Fauci was stealing attention from him, just for the ridiculous attributes of being competent and knowing things.
YY_Sima Qian
This full on idiocracy make “banana republics” functional in comparison.
sab
@YY_Sima Qian: So the muskrats are firing people, unbeknownst to the cabinet secretary in charge of those people.
MomSense
Yesterday the Deputy Director of CDC announced his resignation and that he will return to Maine with his wife.
Llelldorin
This, more than anything else Trump is doing, is making it actively dangerous to continue living in this country.
The frustrating thing is that even when this inevitably gets a lot of people killed, the media is so very bad at connecting actions to consequences that Trump and RFK Jr. may escape the blame for it.
Mousebumples
Re the headline in the first skeet –
Thanks, as always, AL.
Suggestion for the crowd – get your flu and Covid Vax (if you haven’t already), and MMR if you can. I got boosted with MMR last summer.
I’m hoping pharma pushes back on any major changes, but… We’ll see if their money makes enough of an impact with the worm…
Ksmiami
It’s time for violent reprisals. I do not see why we should remain a country with these murderous fucktwats
Professor Bigfoot
@Ksmiami: You first.
Ksmiami
@Professor Bigfoot: will do.
Geo Wilcox
IS anyone else seeing all the Bluesky links are dead on their devices? It’s the same with the other Balloon Juice threads.
Chris Johnson
All this is consistent with them both working on behalf of Putin to literally kill as many of us as they can and ruin our country. That’s pretty fundamental.
The insane haste is because people already know to mistrust the media who are in the tank for the killers, and it will get worse. But it will get worse when it’s BAAAAD and the idea is that should be too late, and it should leave us in no position to regroup.
I think this is to some extent a harebrained, dumbass scheme, but that’s the idea. I won’t speak on whether it will ‘work’, it presupposes a Soviet-peasant degree of resignation and/or the ability to fuck everything up so confusingly that Americans just attack each other in a frenzy when stuff gets REAL bad. (see: Ksmiami, eager to just attack. They’re trying to get THAT reaction)
Bottom line, these people are literally trying to kill us, and disease is their best shot at it. I expect at least some actual sabotage in the form of Russian agents literally culturing toxins and trying to spread ’em: ‘plandemic’ can be just another projection, just another DARVO.
They’re waging war and trying to kill us. Operative word being ‘trying’. Doesn’t automatically mean it will work. It should also be instructive for the rest of the world, such as Europe, NATO etc.
Chris Johnson
@Mousebumples: I mean, pharma is marked for death. This is war. I don’t know what they expect to do about it but pharma having money is totally a moot point if money itself is also marked for death: on the other hand, this is a large number of wealthy and privileged people with resources.
If THAT group gets the picture and fights back, the Nazi/Russian/MAGA people are in serious trouble. I have a hard time imagining the pharma wealthy as being totally naive, trusting and stupid. Surely these of all people have to see the attack coming.
Kay
They’ll botch the response. Republicans are going to do “solutions” to bird flu that dont cost anything and don’t inconvenience anyone, so “nothing” other than bullshit press releases about meetings.
Bird flu is coming. Farmers all know it. Get ready. The United States can no longer manage a real national problem, unless the “problem” is “we hate trans people and want to punish them”
Kay
Controlling bird flu would involve some sacrifice and collective action and the United States can no longer do those things. Too hard.
gene108
@Llelldorin:
I believe journalists are among, if not, the most innumerate and scientifically illiterate professions in this country.
This is why reporting on the economy, public policy, global warming, etc. is so awful. Journalists are willfully ignorant of the basic principles underlying these topics.
Mousebumples
@Geo Wilcox: no issues/works fine for me. I do have a bsky account, however.
Steve LaBonne
@gene108: They’re precisely as ignorant as their wealthy employers want them to be.
moonbat
Thanks, AL, for the update as always.
Seems 45 is determined to prove American exceptionalism by taking away everything that makes America exceptional.
Jeffg166
It’s almost like The Felon 2.0 is clueless.
TBone
I don’t know if I should read this post yet today. I want to. I’m in fine fettle and have conquered several TBone Challenge events already today. I guess I can conquer this one too. Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0036172/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
gene108
@Kay:
We’d have to rethink factory farming for chickens, pigs, and cattle. Read recently that a Canadian factory chicken farm has up to 36,000 chickens. An American factory chicken farm has at least 500,000 chickens and often runs into the millions.
When an American chicken farm gets infected there are a lot of chickens that need to be culled, which is contributing to our egg shortage.
@Kay:
The entire policy response from this administration is to blame the Biden administration. The D.C. crash was the fault of Biden and Obama era hiring policies to address the shortage in ATC’s. Russians invasion of Ukraine is Biden’s fault because Biden was old, weak, and senile and not strong enough to scare Putin.
The list is endless.
At some point, even a few of their supporters might expect them to take responsibility.
Jeffg166
@Rusty:
I expect Canada and Mexico will have a thriving vaccination vacation package to offer.
CliosFanBoy
@gene108:
There have been discussions on Blue Sky about reporters who did not even know basic US history, such as the recent Politico reporter who had never heard of FDR and The New Deal.
Ksmiami
@Chris Johnson: America is marked for death, fall of an empire style.
Soapdish
“Sure, I’ll come back to my job you just fired me from. At three times my previous salary. Paid weekly in advance.”
TBone
I was informed on this site recently that the new administration is going to vaccinate all the babby chicks by hand. I asked if it was snark, and it was not.
Yep, I should not read alla this yet.
gene108
@Steve LaBonne:
I disagree. I think journalists that cover politics are dumb incurious people who have no interesting in learning things new to them.
When healthcare policy was debated in the Bush, Jr. and Obama eras, Republicans argued about using the free market and competition to lower prices. Journalism showed no knowledge that not every product or service is price sensitive. If I need ‘x’ drug to live or ‘y’ treatment, bargain shopping is not possible, which was the obvious flaw in Republican gibberish.
Soprano2
@gene108: I think there used to be reporters who specialized in different areas, and knew a lot about those areas. Now that the profession has been devastated all the reporters are generalists, which results in what you’ve noticed.
Soprano2
@gene108: My mother told me that competition and the free market would solve the high cost of health care if only the government would allow it to. Then, when she was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst that might be cancer she set a land speed record to go to the lab her doctor sent her to and then to get the surgery he recommended, all without shopping around for the most competitive price. I kidded her about it a little bit, but I don’t think she really understood how much her actions when it was her life that might be in danger belied her words. When people are sick is the absolutely worst time to be having to “shop around” for care.
Steve LaBonne
@gene108: We’re really saying the same thing, because those are the “qualities” they’re hired for. And I have talked to reporters in connection with work so I know how dumb they are.
Ksmiami
@CliosFanBoy: todays both sides ist, innumerate journalists are some of the dumbest people on the planet and the rags they work for have screened for that
Gravenstone
An incipient bird flu pandemic, now with bonus salmonella and listeria outbreaks!
Starfish (she/her)
@gene108: Propping up smaller farms was on the USDA’s list of possible recommendations. They are trying not to kill all the birds, and I am not sure if that is going to work out for them.
Kay
@gene108:
In Canada it’s a difficult but solveable problem. In the United States it just means pumping up the Right wing propaganda machine to say its someone elses fault and no one has to do anything hard to actually address it. No one in Ohio is taking any practical action to stop the spread, and we’re one of the hot spots.
Kay
@gene108:
Space X will solve it! Put a billionaire propagandist on it instead of scientists! Do press releases saying Trump officials have been on it since Day One! This is how the US is addressing bird flu. All the other countries are actually working on it. I wonder which approach will succeed? Hmmm. Opinions differ!
New Deal democrat
I’m writing this comment without looking at the full post and comments first, but I wanted to point out that, not only is the CDC still publishing weekly COVID updates, but deaths continue to be under 1,000 per week.
For the last 52 weeks, there have “only” been 42,500 deaths from COVID. Within a month we are very likely to be down to equal the *average* annual deaths from flu.
Elizabelle
I have seen that Roald Dahl letter before, and one hopes it is something that can get through to the woo moms and dads endangering their young children.
New Deal democrat
OK having read the full post now, I just want to add that I think it’s only a question of *when* not *if* there is a nationwide measles outbreak. It’s only a question of several years, several months, or several weeks.
Yet another example of Chesterton’s fence: only after it’s gone do you realize why it was there – in this case mandatory childhood vaccinations. Free riding works until it reaches critical mass, and then the system fails spectacularly.
Anonymous At Work
The fired inspectors should offer to work as independent contractors under Elmo, for prorated benefits and a weekly paycheck of $100,000 each, in escrow. The “move fast and break stuff” people should be paying directly to put Humpty-Dumpty back together again.
artem1s
Speaking of health crisis disasters caused by ignorant, non-scientific oversight by unelected executives… If it hadn’t been for EPA oversight, the residents of Flint might still be poisoned by their water. All because an asshole decided to skip treating the water so as to save $160/day in chemicals that would neutralize the acidic water from the Flint River. How many millions did this cost the state of MI? The Great Lakes consortium agreement is under attack and will probably be declared invalid by the orange asshole and POTUS Soutpiel any day. If we contaminate the biggest source of freshwater in the western hemisphere that’s not something that could take 100 years to recover from – and if their AI servers cause a Chernobyl in OH, PA or NY you can pretty much kiss the entire MidWest goodbye.
In April 2014, during a financial crisis, state-appointed emergency manager Darnell Earley changed Flint’s water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (sourced from Lake Huron and the Detroit River) to the Flint River.
Gretchen
That CBS article says that the Texas outbreak started in a Texas Mennonite community with a high rate of religious vaccination exemptions. So not border-crossing migrants, but white religious Christian conservatives making everybody els sick. That kind of messes with the narratives, doesn’t it?
Ohio Mom
@Ksmiami: Reporters are hired because they can write quickly and clearly. If you worry too much about whether or not you know what you are writing about, it slows you down.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
Random musings- I wonder what Labcorp and Quest are going to do as DOGE kills Medicare and Medicaid. A lot of lab tests are paid for by those programs ( as in old folks like me depend on them for paying for medical care)
TBone
This is me, gingerly dipping my toe back in to learn something I might not even be aware I don’t know. Brrrr, waters chilly today
Kayla Rudbek
@Jeffg166: I would certainly sign up for that!
Chris T.
@gene108:
What are you talking about? I always wait for heart transplants to go on sale when my heart stops!
(Please tell me I don’t need a “/s”…)
MEH
@Kay: Yes, I’ve watched the H5N1 virus situation for a while now. In humans it has a 35% to 50% mortality rate. (Since 2003, there have been 970 cases in humans and 466 deaths, giving a mortality rate of 48%) The current risk I see from reports are people with backyard chickens getting infected, then getting another version of flu, gene-swapping or reassignment taking place, thereby allowing for human-to-human transmission. Then we are in deep trouble. There was a vaccine being worked on, but RFK will most likely hobble that effort.