Employees Working on Bird Flu Response Accidentally Fired

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said several people working on the bird flu outbreak were accidentally fired.

The job cuts come as President Donald Trump looks to reduce the size of government, working with the Department of Government Efficiency, led by tech mogul Elon Musk. The avian influenza outbreak has led to egg shortages at stores and sent egg prices skyrocketing.

“Although several positions supporting HPAI [bird flu] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters,” the USDA 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.”