USDA trying to rehire employees working on bird flu

Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is working to rehire workers who had been working on the government's response to the bird flu after they were fired as part of the Trump administration's mass federal firings.

The USDA said it was reaching out to employees working on bird flu response who were sent termination notices despite some roles at the agency being exempt from the broad cuts as it "continues to prioritize the response to highly pathogenic avian influenza."

"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.

"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."

Among the roles exempted from the cuts were emergency health personnel such as veterinarians and animal health technicians.

New U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins announced last week she wanted to convene a briefing on the avian flu and review options for a comprehensive strategy to combat it and lower egg prices.

The bird flu is affecting dairy cow farms and poultry flocks around the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continued to rate the disease's transmission to humans as "low," despite the 68 human cases already confirmed, including one death.