FDA, USDA Rehire Some Staff, Multiple Sources Report

Less than a week after the mass firings of thousands of employees at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agencies moved to rehire some staffers, according to reports from multiple sources, including the Associated Press (AP) and NBC. Employees overseeing the safety of food ingredients and responding to the H5N1 bird flu outbreak are among those who were offered their jobs back.

The February firings were part of the Trump administration’s efforts to cut the size of the federal workforce. The FDA and USDA have not responded to QA’s requests for information on the number of employees fired by the administration, and QA is awaiting confirmation from the agencies that some employees have been rehired. The New York Times reported that about 4,200 were fired from the USDA, and according to AP, former FDA officials estimate 700 terminations at FDA, though the agency has not released an official number. Eighty-nine of those employees worked in the Human Foods Program, and their firings prompted the resignation of former Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones on Feb. 17.

On Feb. 21, FDA employees, including at least 10 who were overseeing the safety of food ingredients, were notified that their recent terminations had been “rescinded effective immediately,” according to AP. Sources told Reuters that the FDA plans to rehire 300 employees.

Calls and emails announcing the reinstatements came from the FDA’s Office of Talent Solutions, according to AP, and informed employees that their access to agency computer systems and offices had been restored.

The USDA is also reversing firings, specifically of those who were working on the bird flu outbreak, according to NBC. The agency had announced “an aggressive plan to optimize its workforce” on Feb. 14 following the appointment of Brooke Rollins as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

"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 told NBC 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."

Read food safety leaders' reactions to the recent firings here.