Cyclospora outbreak: USDA research projects shelved amid funding cuts and relocations

The Trump administration is reportedly closing two of the three US Department of Agriculture research projects studying cyclospora-a foodborne parasite that has physically sickened thousands of Americans ill this summer, according to a Politico report published today.

The two projects were unfunded by Congress this year while the third is scheduled to move from Maryland to Iowa this fall as part of broader USDA reorganization.

Scientists are working on the parasite having refused to relocate to Iowa even though the third project remains funded.

Given the major situation ongoing, the White House and the USDA have not yet responded. According to a USDA spokesperson, the research remains completely uninterrupted and will continue without disruption.

In this connection, the spokesperson told Politico, “Congress did not appropriate funding for the ‌two ⁠BARC research projects referenced in the FY2026 Agriculture Appropriations Act.”

Crucially, scientists researching food-transmitted parasites including cyclospora are retiring or leaving the USDA’s ARS instead of reassignment or relocation to other projects, according to the report.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recorded more than 17,000 confirmed cyclosporiasis across 48 states, creating one of the worst mass foodborne illnesses outbreaks in US history.