"As a currently uncontrolled, large foodborne [illness] outbreak across the country continues, cuts to these programs are impacting our nation's ability to prevent, detect, and contain foodborne illnesses and protect public health," Sen. Klobuchar wrote.

The senator argued that the Trump Administration's decision to scale back CDC’s FoodNet surveillance last year—cutting Cyclospora from the list of pathogens included in the program—and significant staffing reductions have diminished national foodborne illness surveillance capacity. She also cited the April 2025 suspension of FDA's FERN following workforce reductions, as well as the termination of congressionally appropriated Public Health Infrastructure Grants and Preventive Services Block Grants that support state health department staffing, laboratory capacity, diagnostics, and disease surveillance.

Preventing foodborne illnesses and rapidly detecting and responding to outbreaks requires coordinated efforts among CDC, FDA, and state public health and agriculture agencies. However, "the recent actions taken by the administration have significantly weakened federal and state defenses and undermined nationwide coordination against foodborne illnesses, particularly when there is no longer a central location for reporting and comparing data across state lines," Sen. Klobuchar wrote.

Sen. Klobuchar urged CDC and FDA to fully restore the affected programs and continue supporting state public health agencies with the resources needed to detect, investigate, and respond to foodborne illness outbreaks. The full letter can be read here.