**”USDA Faces Crisis as Bird Flu Response Team Members Depart”**
According to a reliable source, a number of U.S. Department of Agriculture employees involved in the agency’s bird flu response are set to leave at the end of April. This exodus is expected to strain the federal capacity to track the spread of the virus. The USDA recently offered financial incentives for employees to resign within seven days, part of a broader effort to reduce the federal workforce under President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk. Of the 13 employees in the USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network, three have accepted the offer and will be departing on April 30. These departing employees played key roles in bird flu testing consistency, funding management for the lab network, and administrative support. Their absence is likely to disrupt the agency’s monitoring of bird flu in livestock, which is crucial for the national response to the virus. The ongoing bird flu outbreak has resulted in significant losses of poultry and other birds, as well as infections in dairy herds and humans. The high number of cases has also impacted egg prices. Additionally, some probationary workers who were laid off by the USDA in February but later reinstated are facing uncertainty as the agency plans further layoffs. Recent developments include the Supreme Court overturning a federal court order to reinstate probationary workers at six agencies, including the USDA. At the Department of Health and Human Services, layoffs have led to disruptions in bird flu testing for dairy and pet food products by the Food and Drug Administration. (Written by Leah Douglas; edited by Barbara Lewis)
