WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it is working to reverse the recent firings of some staff who were let go last weekend as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to cull the federal workforce and cut costs.

The firings took place amid growing concerns about bird flu affecting farms in multiple states, causing egg prices to skyrocket.

What You Need To Know

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it is working to reverse the recent firings of some staff who were let go over the weekend as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to cull the federal workforce

  • The firings took place over the weekend as a bird flu epidemic continues to affect farms in multiple states, causing egg prices to skyrocket

  • “Several job categories, including veterinarians, animal health technicians and other emergency response personnel have been exempted from the recent personnel actions to continue to support the HPAI response and other animal health priorities," the agency said in a statement Wednesday

  • On Friday, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said the agency had “an aggressive plan to optimize its workforce” and welcomed “DOGE’s efforts at USDA”

"USDA continues to prioritize the response to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI),” the USDA said in a statement to Spectrum News.

“Several job categories, including veterinarians, animal health technicians and other emergency response personnel have been exempted from the recent personnel actions to continue to support the HPAI response and other animal health priorities," the statement continued.

The agency acknowledged that several positions supporting the agency’s efforts to address bird flu were notified of their terminations over the weekend.

“We are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters,” the statement 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."

On Friday, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said the agency had “an aggressive plan to optimize its workforce” and welcomed “DOGE’s efforts at USDA.”

As of Jan. 6, the Centers for Disease Control said there had been 66 confirmed human cases of H5N1 bird flu in the United States since 2024, when it was detected in dairy cows in multiple states. Only one person in the United States has died as a result of a bird flu infection and the risk of the general public contracting bird flu remains low, the agency said.

The Trump administration also recently issued a memo rescinding the terminations of all but 28 of the hundreds of federal employees who were tasked with working on the nation's nuclear weapons programs. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.