The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday said it accidentally fired several officials working on the response to the avian flu outbreak and is trying to get them back.
The statement came after the department cut thousands of employees since Friday, including at least 28 employees at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan. A source with knowledge of the situation told The Mercury that at least one of those was someone in a high-level position working on the government’s response to the avian flu outbreak.
“Although several positions supporting (avian flu) 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.”
