Derek Copeland, a dog trainer at the USDA, was among several hundred employees who were laid off during a significant reduction of staff under the Trump administration and Elon Musk's Dog Efficiency program. These cuts heavily impacted teams dedicated to inspecting plant and food imports, which are now operating at minimal capacity. Current USDA employees report serious challenges in maintaining oversight of pest detection and reporting, emphasizing the irreplaceable expertise of their specialized roles in safeguarding America's agricultural resources.
Dog trainers are just one example of the kind of highly specialized USDA staff that have been removed from their stations in recent weeks.
It's causing problems left and right, it's basically a skeleton crew working now.
The USDA lost about a fifth of its trainers… when 6,000 employees were let go at the USDA in February as part of a government-wide purge.
These aren't your average personnel. Many hold advanced degrees and have years of training to protect US food and agriculture.
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