CHICAGO, Illinois, August 31, 2026 — Two of three USDA research projects on cyclospora are being closed under the Trump administration. In one of the largest foodborne outbreaks in modern history, it has sickened thousands of Americans. A third, funded project is set to move from Maryland to Iowa this autumn.
Budget Cuts and Project Closures
Congress cut the request for two of these projects at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in its FY2026 budget. The USDA blamed the funding gap directly on Congress. The spokesperson told Politico: “None of the research has been perturbed, and research will continue smoothly without interruption.”
The agency stated that its Agricultural Research Service is coordinating an orderly transition with research leaders. That transition encompasses clinical programs impacted by both the funding cuts and the larger reorganization. The USDA has not specified how much of that work will continue, and how much will stop altogether.
Staff Departures Threaten Outbreak Response
No scientist on the cyclospora project whose funding has expired was willing to move to Iowa. Foodborne parasite researchers, for example, are either retiring or leaving the agency rather than taking up reassignment. The exodus imperils continuity even for the one project able to secure its funding.
This is also part of a larger U.S. Department of Agriculture reorganization that shifts research operations out of Maryland. Federal science agencies have seen substantial staff turnover from similar moves in the past. Others warn that such losses damage the ability to respond in depth to outbreaks for years, if not decades.
More than 17,000 confirmed cyclosporiasis cases have been reported in 48 states and Washington D.C., according to the CDC. Federal tracking data indicates at least 11,844 more cases may not yet be confirmed. When combined it makes this one of the biggest multi-state, foodborne illness outbreaks in recent U.S. history.
Concerns Over Long-Term Public Health Impacts
Cyclospora transmits via contaminated fruits, vegetables and outdoor settings giving rise to extended severe gastrointestinal illness. Ongoing research provides the scientific evidence that public health officials depend on to track down the sources of outbreaks and to avoid future epidemics. The cuts in funding came at the same time as the outbreak spread across the country.
Requests for additional comment from the White House and USDA were not immediately answered. Public health advocates caution that pausing active research during an outbreak could set back prevention efforts. Federal food safety data and outbreak tracking is published through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Funding decisions, however, have drawn bipartisan concerns regarding whether the timing was right. There is not yet a permanent home for displaced research staff from the Agricultural Research Service. It could determine how responsive future outbreaks of foodborne illness are in public health systems monitored by the American Public Health Association.
According to public health experts, the return on research investment in food safety is realized over the long term. States and local health departments monitoring for new cases have already been stressed by this current outbreak. A number of lawmakers have pressed for the projects that are being defunded to be restored in a future appropriations bill through advocacy from groups like the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Consumer safety advocates say holes in outbreak research will make outbreaks tougher to track in the future. The fight has become an additional flashpoint in larger arguments over federal science funding priorities supported by organizations like the National Environmental Health Association. How the future course of this outbreak unfolds over the coming months might determine whether Congress restores that funding.
Coalitions representing interests in farm and food safety have joined the calls for quick approval of reinstating the programs that were terminated. That has sparked wider questions about relocation and reorganization practices at research agencies. A final decision on how to prioritize funding may not come until the next budget cycle, officials say.
