Latest news with #ThomasHenderson
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
USDA fires foreign workers from adversarial countries, including China, in national security protection move
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Friday it had fired dozens of foreign contract workers from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. The cuts of about 70 workers followed a national security review for U.S. food safety. A USDA spokesperson said the contract workers came from "countries of concern" and will "no longer be able to work on USDA projects." The workers had been with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the research arm of the USDA, Thomas Henderson, who represents the union for some of the research workers, told Reuters. Trump Administration Moves Decisively To Block China From 'Weaponizing' American Farmland ARS does research on areas of importance to American farmers, such as pests, food safety and climate change. Read On The Fox News App Most of the contract workers were vetted Chinese post-doctoral researchers, with some even arriving to work this week to find out their badges no longer worked. Earlier this month, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced in a new plan to keep U.S. farmland safe that contracts with any workers from China, North Korea, Iran and Russia should be canceled, and nationals from those countries wouldn't be allowed to buy farmland in the U.S. All ARS project publications are also expected to be reanalyzed and those co-authored with researchers from the four countries will be denied, Ethan Roberts, an ARS employee who is also the president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3247 union, told Reuters. Brooke Rollins: Farm Security Is National Security The workers won't be able to be replaced until the Oct. 15 federal hiring freeze is lifted. That will force some research projects to be halted, Henderson said, citing a project to develop a vaccine for a deadly toxin that occurs in undercooked beef. "We don't have the talent now to progress on these research projects. It's setting us back by years, if not decades," he told Reuters. The agency is down about 1,200 workers through downsizing efforts this year. Fox News Digital has reached out to the USDA for comment. Reuters contributed to this report. Original article source: USDA fires foreign workers from adversarial countries, including China, in national security protection move
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US farm agency fires 70 foreign researchers following national security review
By Leah Douglas WASHINGTON -The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it has fired 70 foreign contract researchers after a national security review intended to secure the U.S. food supply from adversaries including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. "USDA has completed a thorough review of individuals authorized to work on contracts with the department and identified approximately 70 individuals from countries of concern," a spokesperson said. "The individuals working on these contracts from countries of concern will no longer be able to work on USDA projects." U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on July 8 had announced a farm security plan that included efforts to bar purchases of U.S. farmland by nationals of the four countries, and to terminate any existing research agreements with them. Rollins said the moves were necessary to secure the U.S. food supply. The contractors had worked at the Agricultural Research Service, the in-house research arm of the USDA, said Thomas Henderson, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1657, which represents ARS workers in Albany, California. Most of those dismissed were Chinese post-doctoral researchers on two-year contracts with the agency, and who were already subject to vetting before being hired, Henderson said. Some arrived to work on July 9 to find their badges no longer worked, he said. Because of a federal hiring freeze that has been extended through October 15, the USDA will not be able to replace the fired staff and will need to halt ongoing scientific work that benefits farmers, like a project to develop a vaccine for a deadly toxin that occurs in undercooked beef, Henderson said. "We don't have the talent now to progress on these research projects. It's setting us back by years, if not decades," he said. The USDA did not comment on the concern about lost research capacity. The ARS conducts research on agriculture topics like pests, food safety and climate change that are high-priority to American farmers. The agency has lost about 1,200 employees, more than 17% of its 2024 staffing level, to terminations and voluntary incentives to quit offered by President Donald Trump's administration. In a July 8 memo, Rollins prohibited USDA staff from publishing research with foreign nationals from the four "countries of concern" without agency approval and from attending events organized by "foreign adversaries." Some ARS staff were further told in a meeting that all publications currently under review will be re-analyzed and those co-authored with foreign nationals from the four countries will be denied, said Ethan Roberts, an ARS employee and president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3247. Before the memo, there were already extra review processes in place to publishing research conducted with people from the four countries, Roberts said.
Reuters
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US farm agency fires 70 foreign researchers following national security review
WASHINGTON, July 18 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it has fired 70 foreign contract researchers after a national security review intended to secure the U.S. food supply from adversaries including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. "USDA has completed a thorough review of individuals authorized to work on contracts with the department and identified approximately 70 individuals from countries of concern," a spokesperson said. "The individuals working on these contracts from countries of concern will no longer be able to work on USDA projects." U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on July 8 had announced a farm security plan that included efforts to bar purchases of U.S. farmland by nationals of the four countries, and to terminate any existing research agreements with them. Rollins said the moves were necessary to secure the U.S. food supply. The contractors had worked at the Agricultural Research Service, the in-house research arm of the USDA, said Thomas Henderson, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1657, which represents ARS workers in Albany, California. Most of those dismissed were Chinese post-doctoral researchers on two-year contracts with the agency, and who were already subject to vetting before being hired, Henderson said. Some arrived to work on July 9 to find their badges no longer worked, he said. Because of a federal hiring freeze that has been extended through October 15, the USDA will not be able to replace the fired staff and will need to halt ongoing scientific work that benefits farmers, like a project to develop a vaccine for a deadly toxin that occurs in undercooked beef, Henderson said. "We don't have the talent now to progress on these research projects. It's setting us back by years, if not decades," he said. The USDA did not comment on the concern about lost research capacity. The ARS conducts research on agriculture topics like pests, food safety and climate change that are high-priority to American farmers. The agency has lost about 1,200 employees, more than 17% of its 2024 staffing level, to terminations and voluntary incentives to quit offered by President Donald Trump's administration. In a July 8 memo, Rollins prohibited USDA staff from publishing research with foreign nationals from the four "countries of concern" without agency approval and from attending events organized by "foreign adversaries." Some ARS staff were further told in a meeting that all publications currently under review will be re-analyzed and those co-authored with foreign nationals from the four countries will be denied, said Ethan Roberts, an ARS employee and president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3247. Before the memo, there were already extra review processes in place to publishing research conducted with people from the four countries, Roberts said.
