Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Samsung brings ads to US fridges

    September 18, 2025

    The Quest to Find the Longest-Running Simple Computer Program

    September 18, 2025

    Meta’s new Ray-Ban smart glasses have twice the battery life

    September 18, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » DOGE’s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US Grocery Prices to Rise and Invasive Species to Spread
    Business

    DOGE’s Cuts at the USDA Could Cause US Grocery Prices to Rise and Invasive Species to Spread

    News RoomBy News RoomMarch 20, 20253 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    Navigating the workforce cuts has “been absolute chaos,” says Armando Rosario-Lebrón, a vice president of the National Association of Agriculture Employees, which represents workers in Plant Protection and Quarantine program.

    “These ports were already strained in how they process cargo, and now some of them have been completely decimated,” Rosario-Lebrón says. “We could be back to pandemic-level issues for some goods if we don’t fix this.”

    The Department of Agriculture did not respond to a request for comment. Republican senator Joni Ernst, who has been a vocal backer of DOGE’s efforts, previously publicly supported the USDA’s dog training program and cosponsored legislation that would give it permanent funding. Her office declined to comment on cuts made to it.

    Two federal judges and an independent agency that assesses government personnel decisions have already ordered that fired USDA employees be reinstated. Earlier this week, the USDA said that it was pausing the terminations for 45 days and would “develop a phased plan for return-to-duty.” But affected staff remain in the dark about their future, and the Trump administration has signaled it will fight court decisions to reinstate employees, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt calling one of the rulings “absurd and unconstitutional.”

    As these legal and regulatory battles continue to play out, Hudicka says he anticipates a number of trickle-down effects to happen, such as local market wars over resources, which bigger cities and larger grocery chains will be better equipped for than mom-and-pops and rural communities. Hudicka says that allowing shipping containers to sit uninspected could also impact other sectors, as the delays will prevent them from being reused for other kinds of goods. “Those containers are supposed to be moving stuff every day, and now they’re just parked somewhere,” he says.

    Kit Johnson, the director of trade compliance at the US customs broker John S. James, also predicts prices and waste to increase. But what raises the most alarms for him is the increased likelihood of invasive species slipping through inspection cracks. He says the price of missing a threatening pest is “wiping out an entire agricultural commodity,” an event that could have “not just economic but national security impacts.”

    Decimating the Department of Agriculture could even have consequences for US Customs and Border Protection, which deploys the dogs trained by Copeland and other staffers at the National Dog Detection Training Center. CBP works closely with the USDA in other ways as well, particularly at points of entry. The two agencies run the Agricultural Quarantine Inspection program, but it’s funded by the USDA. Many Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service programs do not rely on taxpayer dollars to operate but instead collect fees from importers and other industry players. In this way, it subsidizes some of CBP’s agriculture-related activities. CBP did not respond to a request for comment.

    As the fired USDA workers wait to hear whether their reinstatements will actually take place, ports are beginning to feel their absence. “There aren’t as many inspections being done, and it doesn’t just put us at risk,” says Lahar. “It puts our farmers and our food chains at risk.”

    Update 3/17/25 12:42 PM EST: A reference in this story to “swine flu” was updated to “swine fever” to more accurately reflect the type of illnesses typically detected by disease-sniffing dogs.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleThe beautiful, retro tech of two theatrical sound designers
    Next Article TikTok will now show missing child notifications

    Related Posts

    Matthew Prince Wants AI Companies to Pay for Their Sins

    September 17, 2025

    How AI Is Upending Politics, Tech, the Media, and More

    September 16, 2025

    Hundreds of Google AI Workers Were Fired Amid Fight Over Working Conditions

    September 16, 2025

    USA Today Enters Its Gen AI Era With a Chatbot

    September 16, 2025

    OpenAI Ramps Up Robotics Work in Race Toward AGI

    September 15, 2025

    How China’s Propaganda and Surveillance Systems Really Operate

    September 15, 2025
    Our Picks

    The Quest to Find the Longest-Running Simple Computer Program

    September 18, 2025

    Meta’s new Ray-Ban smart glasses have twice the battery life

    September 18, 2025

    I sat down with Mark Zuckerberg to try Meta’s impressive new Ray-Ban Display glasses

    September 18, 2025

    Meta will let you use a Quest VR headset to turn your real-world space into a virtual world

    September 18, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    News

    Meta is making the metaverse look better

    By News RoomSeptember 17, 2025

    Meta is making improvements to its Roblox-like social platform Horizon Worlds, with the biggest upgrades…

    The new Oakley Meta glasses are what athletes actually want

    September 17, 2025

    Meta’s Ray-Ban Gen 2 and Oakley Vanguard glasses are available to preorder

    September 17, 2025

    I regret to inform you Meta’s new smart glasses are the best I’ve ever tried

    September 17, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.