The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has closed its Jackson, Mississippi, district office due to a staffing shortage, FSIS Administrator Denise Eblen said. Several employees opted for early retirement under a voluntary separation program offered during the Trump administration, leading to the closure.
Duties previously handled by the Jackson office have been reassigned to the FSIS district offices in Springdale, Arkansas, and Atlanta. Facilities in Alabama should now contact the Atlanta office, while those in Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi should reach out to the Springdale office. Read more
The path to House passage of the $9.4 billion package is still far from clear. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., has already indicated he would vote against the package if it includes cuts to the George W. Bush-era program known as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which provides foreign aid to fight HIV and AIDS. Read more