Items Tagged with 'President Trump and food safety industry'

With two proposed rules issued on May 18, the Trump EPA followed through on its stated intent to rescind or extend the compliance date for Biden-era drinking water limits for several “forever chemicals” of concern.

The plan includes the creation of a new, central National Food Safety Center in Iowa and Science Center in Georgia. Approximately 200 (two-thirds) of USDA-FSIS’ Washington D.C.-area workforce will be relocated. Other USDA offices, including ARS and NIFA, also face restructuring and relocations.

Erica Schwartz, M.D., M.P.H., J.D. is a retired Rear Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, who has held medical leadership positions in both the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy.

FDA’s Human Foods Program specifically would receive a significant increase in funding compared to the previous fiscal year (FY), including $25 million to help address chemical contaminants and additives like PFAS, toxic heavy metals, and GRAS ingredients.

EPA repealed Biden-era amendments that had tightened emissions regulations under the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule. Critics warn that this decision could lead to greater bioaccumulation of the neurotoxin methylmercury in fish, increasing human dietary exposure.

A presidential Executive Order invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950, asserting that glyphosate-based herbicides are critical to “national security.” MAHA supporters are pushing back on the order. 

New data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) shows the most recent and complete picture of workforce attrition at federal agencies responsible for food safety and public health.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to acclaimed food policy journalist Helena Bottemiller Evich about the rise of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, the current state of food and nutrition policy under its agenda, and predictions for its future.

According to a report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for USDA, 20,306 employees left the agency between January and June 2025. This does not include any attrition from the agency’s planned reorganization or the federal government shutdown.

To help paint a picture of how federal food safety and public health regulatory agencies have been affected by the second Trump Administration, this article provides a 2025 timeline summarizing major happenings at HHS, FDA, CDC, and USDA, including firings and hirings, restructurings, policy changes, program and budget cuts, and other actions.