The Trump administration has dismissed 25% of the personnel from a key federal program office that oversees the tracking and monitoring of the escalating bird flu outbreak, according to a report by Politico here.

In a related development, Kevin Hassett, who served as Trump’s director of the National Economic Council, remarked on Sunday that there is no need to cull chickens in proximity to infected birds, contrasting with actions taken by the Biden administration. He noted, “chickens don’t really fly.”

Hassett emphasized, “We should implement enhanced biosecurity measures and improve medication strategies to ensure that we don’t need to kill chickens unnecessarily,” adding, “The avian flu is a legitimate concern, predominantly spread by ducks and geese. It’s illogical to kill chickens to prevent the spread, as they are not the primary carriers.”

While it is accurate that ducks and geese serve as natural carriers of bird flu, the close quarters in which chickens are kept in factory farms can facilitate rapid disease transmission, despite their limited mobility.

This news comes amid increasing alarm as the virus poses a heightened threat to human health and has triggered significant egg shortages, resulting in soaring egg prices. Moreover, the Trump administration has laid off 25% of the 14 employees within the USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network, which plays a crucial role in the nation’s coordination of testing laboratories for animal-borne illnesses. The administration has also reduced public health research funding and halted nearly all public communications from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding disease outbreaks.

Keith Poulsen, head of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, referred to this office as “the frontline of surveillance for the entire outbreak,” stating to Politico, “They’re already stretched thin and perpetually short-staffed. By removing all probationary employees, we are effectively crippling our capacity to manage the situation.”

Now is not the time to scale back surveillance of bird flu. The virus is spreading rapidly among poultry, necessitating large-scale culling of affected animals. In addition, scientists have identified a new strain affecting dairy cows. Bird flu has caused infections in approximately 70 individuals in the United States, primarily among farm workers who had direct contact with infected livestock, although no human-to-human transmission has been documented yet.

The flu has also been detected in raw milk, a product that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s newly appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services, has endorsed and stated he consumes. Multiple health organizations, including the CDC, FDA, and NIH, all cautioned against the consumption of raw milk last March.

These recent firings stem from an administration policy aimed at reducing the federal workforce significantly. The layoffs primarily targeted employees still on probation, those who have typically been employed for less than a year and are not entitled to the same protections as long-term federal workers. Elon Musk, who heads the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, has advocated for even more drastic measures, proposing the elimination of entire federal agencies, including the Department of Education.