{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mcbride.house.gov/media/press-releases/mcbride-costa-lead-letter-urging-usda-restore-full-bird-flu-surveillance", "McBride, Costa Lead Letter Urging USDA to Restore Full Bird Flu Surveillance as Holiday Season Approaches", "2025-11-24", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "House", "DE", "Sarah McBride", "M001238", "mcbride.house.gov", "mcbride", "https://mcbride.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-DE) and Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Chicken Caucus, led dozens of Members of Congress in a letter calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately restore full avian influenza surveillance and coordination amid renewed outbreaks across the country. Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, also joined the letter.\n\nThe request comes as poultry farmers nationwide confront a sharp rise in bird flu outbreaks \u2014 with more than 90 new detections in the last 30 days, and over 1.6 million birds infected, according to USDA data. In Delaware, the first outbreak of the season was detected in Kent County in early November. With Thanksgiving and the winter holidays approaching, Members warn that reduced federal coordination caused by the historic government shutdown and reductions in force (RIFs) threatens farmers\u2019 ability to respond quickly and contain the spread.\n\n\u201cWe write to express our deep concern about the recent rise in avian influenza\u2014a now seasonal epidemic impacting poultry farmers and driving up grocery prices across the United States\u2026And as we approach the holiday season, it is concerning that without avian influenza surveillance at full capacity, families across America may eat without traditionally American-produced centerpieces on their holiday dinner tables.\u201d the Members wrote.\n\nMcBride said Delaware\u2019s poultry farmers \u2014 many of whom she has met with in recent months \u2014 are among those most affected.\n\n\u201cFamily farmers in Delaware help feed the entire region and work around the clock to keep families\u2019 holiday traditions alive every year,\u201d said Rep. McBride. \u201cWhen bird flu hits, farmers don\u2019t just face higher costs \u2014 they face uncertainty and devastation\u2013 often forced to cull their entire flocks. The federal government has an obligation to protect farmers from tragedy, and that means reestablishing bird flu surveillance at its full capacity.\n\n\u201cThis isn\u2019t just about protecting farmers; it\u2019s also about keeping grocery prices stable and ensuring every family can gather around a table with the food they depend on. As we head into the busiest season of the year for poultry farmers in Delaware, we need every federal tool working at full strength. This shouldn\u2019t be a partisan issue. Protecting our nation\u2019s food supply and supporting family farmers are responsibilities we all share.\u201d\n\nIn the letter, Members sound the alarm of reduced surveillance efforts, highlighting reports that the USDA-coordinated National Animal Health Laboratory Network suspended its weekly calls, \u201creducing appropriate coordination and critical information sharing that is imperative to combating avian influenza.\u201d\n\nThe letter also points out that furloughs and RIFs at USDA and CDC are limiting real-time reporting capacities, hampering farmers\u2019 ability to respond to outbreaks in real time and save their flocks from infection.\n\nThe Members conclude with a clear request to the USDA: \u201cWe respectfully call on the Department to reestablish avian influenza surveillance and research programs to their prior level of excellence\u2014and strengthen them further\u2014to protect all poultry, dairy, and livestock farmers from further impact. Without swift action to reduce viral loads, the economic toll\u2014from farm losses to rising grocery costs\u2014will continue to grow.\u201d\n\nThe full letter is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "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://mcbride.house.gov/media/press-releases/mcbride-costa-lead-letter-urging-usda-restore-full-bird-flu-surveillance"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4999019913375378, "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"}