When you open your fridge, pantry or medicine cabinet, you probably don’t worry if what’s inside could make you sick. For that, you can thank the Food and Drug Administration, which has worked for nearly a century to ensure the safety of the foods we eat, the drugs we take and many of the products we use every day.
As the Trump administration makes staffing and budget cuts in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies, the FDA is currently facing cuts of roughly 3,500 employees. While it’s unclear how many of those cuts will be permanent, the staffing reductions will make the FDA’s responsibilities harder — or in some cases, nearly impossible — to execute. Public health may be affected in the following ways.
1. The Milk And Dairy In Your Refrigerator Could Make You Sick
The FDA has paused a quality control program to test fluid milk and other dairy products. This will leave the inspection to the states — which, historically, has not successfully prevented foodborne disease. Before there was a national standard, milk was responsible for 25% of all foodborne disease outbreaks.
2. Your Doctor Could Be Using Outdated Safety Information To Prescribe A Drug For You
The FDA previously maintained databases to help doctors and health experts track drug quality and the supply chain. When drugs are pulled from the market, FDA employees update that information in real time. Without employees to maintain the databases, that information can be delayed — or not reported at all. And due to a new approval process for consumer alerts, warnings about potentially dangerous drugs have already been delayed.
3. You—Or Your Pet—May Be More Likely To Get Bird Flu
The FDA oversees the safety of medication and food for pets and livestock. Foods like poultry, eggs and even raw pet food can carry bird flu. The symptoms for humans often present like allergies or the flu — but for pets, the illness can be deadly. The FDA was set to launch a program to detect bird flu in April, but it was cut. It also laid off veterinarians responsible for recalling affected products.
4. Facilities Outside The U.S. Where Your Food And Drugs Are Made May Not Be Inspected
The U.S. imports food and drug products from many unregulated or underregulated markets. To ensure that those materials are safe, the FDA investigators have often traveled to those countries to see facility conditions in person. Now, many staffers who organized that travel — and its reimbursement — have been laid off. Some investigators have been forced to cancel their trips, leaving the regulation of these facilities, and the health of the American public, outside of U.S. control.
5. You May See A Rise In Teens Smoking And Vaping
Typically, the FDA files more than 100 complaints every week to penalize stores that sell tobacco to people under 21. Because the FDA laid off dozens of people in its tobacco center responsible for that task, that deterrence is no longer in place. The agency’s top tobacco regulator, Brian King, whose leadership helped achieve a 10-year low in teen vaping rates, was placed on administrative leave last month. This lack of oversight could result in an uptick in smoking and vaping for younger users, who would be at a greater risk for tobacco-related diseases like lung cancer.
6. Your Loved Ones Could Lose Access To The Newest Medicines And Clinical Trials.
With the FDA understaffed, it will most likely be slower to approve new drugs and treatments. Due to this and other regulatory and cost concerns, companies will likely shift clinical trials outside the United States. Competing countries may edge out U.S. biopharmaceutical innovations, and American patients may have to wait longer for life-saving medical interventions.
7. Your Sterile Drugs, Like Eye Drops, Could Become Dangerous Or Deadly
The FDA helps ensure that sterile drugs are actually sterile — non-toxic and uncontaminated. In 2023, non-sterile eye drops made in India were sold in the U.S., blinding at least 14 people and killing several more. The FDA official in charge of recalling those products — and training manufacturers and investigators to understand the hazards — has been fired.
What Does This Mean For The Future Of Public Health?
Taken together, the FDA has had to fire roughly 20% of its employees — representing one of the biggest reductions to a federal agency in this recent wave of cuts. Weeks later, some of these firings were called a mistake, and some employees have reportedly been brought back, at least temporarily.
But until staffing, expertise and oversight are restored, the FDA’s ability to protect the public’s health will remain compromised. And every day, that risk will reach into our homes, our hospitals, our schools and our lives.
