(NewsNation) — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reportedly suspending a quality control program for testing of milk and other dairy products due to reductions in its food safety and nutrition division.
According to Reuters, an internal email from the FDA’s Division of Dairy Safety stated that the agency was suspending its proficiency testing program for Grade “A” raw milk and finished products effective Monday.
The suspension comes after the termination and departure of 20,000 employees from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes the FDA, as part of the Trump administration’s plans to shrink the federal workforce.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. previously said that while there would be job cuts across the health department, food and drug safety inspectors would not be impacted. The FDA has begun hiring contractors to replace some fired workers.
Earlier this month, the FDA also suspended programs that ensured accurate testing for bird flu in milk and cheese and pathogens like the parasite Cyclospora in other food products.
The Trump administration has proposed cutting billions of dollars from the health department.
