Worries grow over risks to Americans as Trump cuts health, safety agencies

The Washington Post ^ | April 6, 2025 | Dan Diamond and Hannah Natanson

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Somewhere on a grocery shelf, or in a restaurant, or on a food-factory floor in America, lurk bacteria that haven’t been detected yet. Perhaps E. coli, which is linked with food poisoning, or more of the cronobacter that led to infant illnesses, sparked a nationwide shortage of infant formula in 2022 and led to major reforms at the Food and Drug Administration.

The task of finding those bacteria rests on FDA inspectors, whose jobs have been mostly preserved amid the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to the federal government. But the people who help support those inspections haven’t fared so well. More than 150 people in the FDA’s Office of Inspections and Investigations — the staff responsible for purchasing supplies, managing trips and coordinating other administrative functions — were laid off last week, according to multiple federal officials. So were staff dedicated to food-safety policies and regulations, including an entire office that partnered with foreign countries to handle food-related disease outbreaks. Meanwhile, the FDA’s top food safety official — a position created after the infant formula crisis — resigned in February, citing “indiscriminate” staffing cuts to his office.

The cuts tee up “the next infant formula crisis waiting to happen,” said one current FDA official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal.

The FDA, which last week laid off its entire media affairs team, did not respond to a request for comment. The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA, did not respond to a request for comment. A White House spokesman said that FDA and other health agencies underperformed during the covid-19 pandemic and that recent staffing changes were intended to make the agencies more “nimble and strategic.”

Across the government, President Donald Trump and his allies...

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Across the government, President Donald Trump and his allies have sliced billions of dollars and tens of thousands of staff from agencies focused on health and safety, such as the FDA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — cuts that are hollowing out longtime federal offices, shedding expertise, and appear to go against Trump’s repeated campaign promises to make Americans healthier and safer.

This pretty much explains everything.

We believe the country is the people.

They believe the country is the government and the bureaucrats who infest it.

[mikelets456]

Health and other agencies are under attack when commies are in charge. Back to full blown lies again. I despise the “media”.

[Telepathic Intruder]

Government, more government, and even more government. This is core to the belief that Democrats hold: we are not free because of the lack of government interference, but because of government benefits. But they forget the most important rule of government: power corrupts.

[Racketeer]

Fortunately, POTUS Trump is a leader who will not listen or adjust to the whining and whims of the MSM (Lying media)!!

[exnavy]

Our government under democratics will not save us from anything.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

All those “health and safety” agencies are captives of the industries they allegedly “regulate,” with personnel routinely moving between the industries and the bureaucracies.

[EnderWiggin1970]

WP promoting leftist doctrine with its assumption that central government is the solution to all problems, such that cutting back in government in any way automatically means problems get worse. They have no grasp of the way that their fat central government with high taxes starves individuals and private organizations of funds with which they can much more efficiently and effectively address issues.

[AndyJackson]

It took HHS and its subagencies to bring us from the top of world’s life expectancy down to where we are today barely above some 3rd world countries.

[SpaceBar]

The myth of the indispensable government employee is strong amongst government employees.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It took HHS and its subagencies to bring us from the top of world’s life expectancy down to where we are today barely above some 3rd world countries.

Just like it took the "Department of Education" 46 years to brings us from #1 of the world's education systems to where we are today, anywhere between #17 and #40 depending on the source.

We are, however, #1 in expenditure per student, thank goodness.

[cgbg]

The “expertise” being gutted:

—Phony baloney “climate change”
—Anti-white hate of all kinds
—LGBT pervert grants

Bye bye!

[FlingWingFlyer]

The Wampum Rag says we are probably all doomed. Has this been fact checked yet?

[Rurudyne]

... and the NYTs headline was “World to End: Women and Minorities Hardest Hit!”

[kawhill]

“Meanwhile, the FDA’s top food safety official — a position created after the infant formula crisis — resigned in February, citing “indiscriminate” staffing cuts to his office.” ‘infant formula crisis’, who was in command when it happened?

[blackdog]

The federal government is not responsible for my health, nor my safety. Those are my responsibilities according to the US Constitution.

[Fledermaus]

More porn propaganda

[Billthedrill]

The WaPo's a company paper in a company town, and that company's principal product is not governance, but graft. No wonder they're worried.

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. - H. L. Mencken

[AndyJackson]

and expenditure per year lived.

[DAC21]

“Worries Grow”

Mostly at The Washington Compost, NPR, MSNBC, LA Times.......

[DAC21]

Here is one of the worriers at the Compost....note the eyes.