US trying to rehire fired bird flu officials: Report

WASHINGTON

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working to rescind terminations for fired employees working on bird flu efforts, according to NBC News.

An agency spokesperson told NBC on Tuesday that the department "accidentally" fired "several" employees over the weekend who were working on the federal government's response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak.

"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," said the spokesperson.

"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," the spokesperson was quoted.

Per the report, the spokesperson said several agency positions were already exempted from the sweeping cuts the Trump administration is making across the federal government.

The Agriculture Department "continues to prioritize the response to highly pathogenic avian influenza," the spokesperson added.

The administration of Donald Trump has begun mass firing of thousands of federal workers, embarking on his mission to cut unnecessary government spending.

Egg prices hit a record high as the US contends with a bird flu outbreak.

WASHINGTON

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working to rescind terminations for fired employees working on bird flu efforts, according to NBC News.

Per the report, the spokesperson said several agency positions were already exempted from the sweeping cuts the Trump administration is making across the federal government.

The Agriculture Department "continues to prioritize the response to highly pathogenic avian influenza," the spokesperson added.

The administration of Donald Trump has begun mass firing of thousands of federal workers, embarking on his mission to cut unnecessary government spending.

Egg prices hit a record high as the US contends with a bird flu outbreak.