{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/us-rep-sharice-davids-d-ks-condemns-reckless-usda-firings-secretary-admits", "U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) Condemns Reckless USDA Firings, Secretary Admits Mistakes", "2025-06-11", "2025", "2025-06", "Democrat", "House", "KS", "Sharice Davids", "D000629", "davids.house.gov", "davids", "https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, during a U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearing, U.S. Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS-03) questioned United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins on the recent terminations of federal workers, including at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas. Rollins called the firings an \u201cimperfect process.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe can\u2019t talk about our shared goal of improving government efficiency while pulling the rug out from under the very people who keep our food supply running,\u201d said Davids during the hearing. \u201cYou can\u2019t eliminate good-paying, skilled jobs in Kansas City at the same time our producers are already facing droughts, volatile markets, and rising costs\u2026 These are neighbors, families, and friends, and they deserve better than this chaos.\u201d\n\nWATCH: Davids questions USDA Sec. Rollins, who admits firings were an \u201cimperfect process\u201d\n\nDavids was responding to the erratic firing of USDA employees by the Department\u2019s Office of General Employment (DOGE), a move she called \u201creckless and unjust.\u201d The cuts have raised alarm bells throughout Kansas and the agricultural community, as they threaten food safety, stall research initiatives, and disrupt vital USDA services that farmers rely on every day.\n\nIn particular, Davids called out staffing reductions at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas. The state-of-the-art lab is the nation\u2019s first biosafety level 4 facility for livestock, built to protect against the most dangerous animal diseases. According to recent reports, 28 employees were abruptly fired \u2014 only for some of those firings to be rescinded days later. A similar pattern occurred at the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), raising further questions about leadership and decision-making at USDA.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve heard about the new world screwworm already [today]. During that time [of NBAF firings], the bird flu was one of the bigger concerns,\u201d said Davids. \u201cThere are other potential animal diseases. How can the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility or Food Safety and Inspection Service even be part of the chopping block in the first place? Was there any discussion about how those decisions were going to be made? \u2026 Especially at these specific facilities that are meant to protect us from some of the worst animal diseases that could spread to humans.\u201d\n\nThe timing of these firings is especially alarming given ongoing outbreaks of highly pathogenic bird flu and the emergence of the New World Screwworm, both of which pose serious risks to Kansas livestock and public health. Davids warned that slashing key roles at facilities like NBAF \u2014 which was built specifically to respond to such biological threats \u2014 undermines the very mission of the USDA and weakens the nation\u2019s ability to respond to agricultural emergencies.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T01:08:28Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/us-rep-sharice-davids-d-ks-condemns-reckless-usda-firings-secretary-admits"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0359357111155987, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}