USDA Ends Cyclospora Research as Cases Surge Nationwide

The Trump administration is closing two of three USDA cyclospora research projects after Congress defunded them in the 2026 Agriculture Appropriations Act. The closures arrive as the CDC logged over 17,000 confirmed cyclosporiasis cases — a foodborne intestinal illness — across 48 states and DC between May and August 2026. A USDA spokesperson denied research disruption, but all scientists refused relocation to Iowa, and lab work stopped with no plans to move equipment or pathogen samples.