Trump defunded the warning system. Then came the worst outbreak on record.
Jessica Mallard ate lettuce. Her stomach pain was, in her words, "unbearable."¹ Weeks later, she was still exhausted and still weak.¹
She is one of more than 11,000 people across 41 states who have gotten sick from cyclospora since May.¹ The parasite causes days or weeks of violent diarrhea, and rinsing your produce won't kill it.² The largest of the outbreaks traced to iceberg lettuce shipped nationwide by Taylor Farms, a single company that handles roughly 40% of the prepared salads sold in this country.²
One supplier. One contaminated crop. Forty-one states.
But it's not just a Taylor Farms problem.
The Trump administration's anti-science, pro-billionaire agenda gutted the agencies charged with protecting our food supply and public health, hamstringing already underfunded agencies. These funding cuts have severely restricted the data collection needed to track and understand public health outbreaks.
In the last year, the FDA has lost a fifth of its staff, and the CDC has lost a quarter. The CDC’s team tracking foodborne parasites has dwindled from 11 scientists to just three, and its early-warning program now monitors only two of eight dangerous microbes — leaving cyclospora off the list entirely.¹
Congress has an opportunity to put public health first and reverse Trump's cuts. They must fully fund the CDC Food Safety Program so health officials have the resources and information they need to keep our food — and our communities — safe.
Sources:
"How Trump admin cuts have compromised food safety," CBS News, July 26, 2026.
"How Cyclospora Exploded Across the U.S. This Summer," Food & Water Watch, Aug. 11, 2026.