The US Department of Agriculture has admitted that it is scrambling to repeal terminations of employees assisting with the government's response to the H5N1 "bird flu" outbreak after they were accidentally fired.
"Although several positions supporting [bird flu efforts] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters," a USDA spokesperson said in a statement obtained by NBC News. "USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service frontline positions are considered public safety positions, and we are continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission."
