The USDA is attempting to rehire key employees responsible for the bird flu emergency response. The employees were inadvertently swept up in the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to slash the federal workforce. Many employees who had not completed their probationary hiring periods were terminated.

This resulted in USDA laboratories being informed that 25 percent of the staff in the National Health Laboratory program, which coordinates their efforts, was being terminated. A USDA spokesman indicated that although several bird flu responders were notified of their terminations over the weekend, the agency was quickly working to correct the situation.

The USDA issued a statement Tuesday night that said the agency continues to prioritize highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) response. Several job categories, including veterinarians, animal health technicians, and other emergency response personnel, have been exempted from recent personnel actions to continue supporting the HPAI response.

Iowa Department of Agriculture spokesman Don McDowell said there has been no let-up in the battle against the bird flu. The state agency is in daily communication with its USDA APHIS partners. The USDA has announced that they are conducting a thorough review of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements and spending across the entire agency.

Read more on efforts to rehire bird flu response workers here.