Today news broke that bird flu communications from the Centers for Disease Control and Department of Agriculture – including briefings, scientific report publications and more – have reportedly been muzzled since President Trump took office.

This news comes just days after a mega-dairy worker in Nevada was confirmed infected with the latest bird flu mutation, which the USDA warns is particularly susceptible to mammal-to-mammal infections — taking us one big step closer to the next human pandemic. So far, nearly 70 people in the U.S. have been infected with bird flu; one person, 159 million chickens, turkeys and birds have died.

In response, Food & Water Watch Senior Food Policy Analyst Rebecca Wolf issued the following statement:

“America is racing towards the next pandemic, and the Musk-Trump government takedown is greasing the wheels. Even as bird flu knocks on our door, President Trump and his unelected billionaire puppeteer are busy dismantling the federal agencies charged with protecting our public health. Staff cuts, hiring freezes, blocked scientific studies and muzzled communications hamstring our ability to respond to this mounting crisis, and put Americans in immediate danger.

“Action on bird flu will require fully staffed, fully funded federal agencies, with a broad and urgent mandate to increase on-farm testing and PPE, as well as vaccine development and distribution. Until then, make no mistake — Musk-Trump’s looting of our federal government will take lives.”