Trump admin shelves Cyclospora research despite record-breaking outbreak

The Trump administration significantly reduced research into Cyclospora outbreaks, despite a record-breaking surge in infections. In 2026, two of the three U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research projects focused on the foodborne parasite were defunded by Congress, and a third was slated for relocation from Maryland to Iowa as part of a broader USDA reorganization. This decision emerged as the U.S. experienced its largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak, with confirmed cases climbing past 17,000 across 48 states and the District of Columbia by August 2026. Public health experts raised concerns that these cuts would hinder efforts to understand how Cyclospora contaminates food and impede rapid responses to future outbreaks, even as a USDA spokesperson maintained that research would continue without disruption.