Reed: Trump Administration’s Response to Nationwide Diarrhea Outbreak Stinks

WASHINGTON, DC - After the Trump Administration cut $11.4 billion from state and local health departments, slashing public health staff, and winnowing the scope of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) program known as Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), that surveilled trends in foodborne illness, America is experiencing a massive, prolonged outbreak of cyclospora, a foodborne parasite that causes severe diarrhea, and in some cases has led to hospitalizations.

Currently, the 'explosive diarrhea parasite,' cyclosporiasis -- which can cause weeks of intestinal illness marked by "frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements" -- is running rampant across the U.S., with thousands of cases pushing the outbreak to a record high. Cyclospora spreads via contaminated food or water.

Last year, Trump officials ordered the CDC to stop the mandatory monitoring of cyclospora, as well as five other foodborne illnesses. Instead, the agency just monitors Salmonella and a form of E. coli. Surveillance of cyclospora had previously been mandatory since 1997, before the Trump Administration cut it. Now the country is facing the largest cyclosporiasis outbreak in years.

According to the CDC, cyclosporiasis cases have been reported in 41 different states this year, including Rhode Island. Nine midwestern states have been hit especially hard: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Noting that the FDA said illnesses started on May 17, yet the Trump Administration failed to issue a public notice until July 16, U.S. Senator Jack Reed says the Trump Administration's short-sighted cuts of staff, resources, and scientific professionals has directly contributed to the nationwide outbreak and likely worsened and prolonged it.

"The Trump Administration cut CDC funding, fired food-safety inspectors, and chose to fracture America's food-safety system. Now thousands of people are sick, and the Trump Administration is playing catch up while more Americans are at risk from this nasty foodborne parasite," said Senator Reed. "In past years, this is something the CDC should have been able to identify and help contain. But they no longer have the resources, mandate, or manpower they did under previous administrations. For Trump there's plenty of money for a new White House ballroom, a 250-foot arch, a failed reflecting pool repair, but basic public health measures just don't get prioritized. This is just another example of the Trump Administration's misplaced and short-sighted cuts putting Americans at risk."

After weeks of trying to keep a lid on the national numbers, the CDC revised its national count on July 14 from the 843 confirmed cases it was reporting late last week upward to 1,645 lab-confirmed, plus more than 5,100 under investigation - totaling nearly 7,000 people nationwide, with 141 hospitalized. Now the Trump Administration says those numbers have climbed to over 4,100 cases and 300 hospitalizations. But the CDC has an additional 7,400 cases that are still awaiting testing and health experts say the real numbers is likely much higher.

Health experts note that cyclosporiasis cases are reported every year in the United States, commonly between May and the end of August, but case counts are typically much lower than they have been this year. For example, Michigan, which has been an epicenter of this outbreak, usually reports roughly 59 cases annually, compared to over 8,000 reported so far this year.

"This is a leadership failure, not the fault of CDC staff on the frontlines. This Administration willfully weakened the federal public health system's ability to track and respond to foodborne illness outbreaks. President Trump hasn't saved taxpayers a dime. Instead, he's prioritizing more money for wars, ballrooms, and whatever other shiny objects he cares about," said Reed. "As cases continue to spike, this administration needs to be accountable for its failures. President Trump has time to get on the phone to complain to FIFA about red cards. He needs to get on the phone to Secretary Kennedy and do something about this massive and disgusting outbreak."

Despite the spike in cases, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claims the multi-state outbreak is "under control," telling ABC News: "We have an extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics, and we've identified the source of the outbreak. We and the companies that are involved have implemented a recall."

After some confusion over testing, lettuce grower Taylor Farms initiated a voluntary recall of all its iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, but the problem persists. And WPRI notes some local restaurants who are not part of the outbreak are being unfairly hurt by the lack of clarity and many consumers are forgoing safe, healthy greens because the Trump Administration's failure to clearly communicate with the public about what is safe and what is not.

Senator Reed is urging the Trump Administration to get its act together and ensure federal and state partners are coordinating to investigate this multistate outbreak and protecting the public by removing tainted products from the market.

The senator wants an investigation that includes Trump health officials briefing Congress and testifying before the Appropriations Committee about the funding needed to effectively contain this outbreak and to restore funding for federal and state food safety programs to prevent future outbreaks.

According to the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), the Ocean State has not seen a major outbreak of cyclospora cases this year, but has identified 10 cases so far. Last year, RIDOH tallied 6 cases of the infection last year, and 12 cases in 2024.

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