USDA fires 70 foreign researchers, alleging security concerns

DAILY Bites

• The USDA terminated around 70 foreign contract scientists — mostly Chinese nationals — following a national security review targeting individuals from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.

• The dismissals, combined with a federal hiring freeze through October, may halt agriculture research projects.

• USDA staff are now prohibited from co-authoring publications or attending events with nationals from the four “countries of concern” without agency approval, raising alarm over the erosion of international scientific cooperation.

DAILY Discussion

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the termination of approximately 70 foreign researchers employed through contractual arrangements. This decision followed a national security review targeting individuals from countries deemed adversarial to the United States — namely China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.

The individuals, which were primarily Chinese post-doctoral researchers according to Reuters, were dismissed following a security review. The researchers were working within the Agricultural Research Service, the USDA’s in-house research wing tasked with advancing knowledge in critical fields like food safety, climate change, and pest control.

Despite having been previously vetted, many of these scientists arrived for work on July 9 only to discover that their building access had been revoked without warning.

“USDA has completed a thorough review of individuals authorized to work on contracts with the department and identified approximately 70 individuals from countries of concern,” a spokesperson told Reuters. “The individuals working on these contracts from countries of concern will no longer be able to work on USDA projects.”

Thomas Henderson, who represents the union for some of the research workers said they’ll be forced to pause critical scientific research that directly supports farmers, such as a project developing a vaccine against a deadly toxin found in undercooked beef.

“We no longer have the talent to move these projects forward,” he added. “This is setting us back years — possibly even decades.”

The USDA’s decision is part of a broader trend of downsizing. The ARS has lost over 1,200 employees — a reduction of more than 17 percent compared to 2024 levels — due to both voluntary exit incentives and firings initiated by the Trump administration.

On July 8, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins unveiled a sweeping farm security plan with the stated goal of insulating the U.S. food supply from potential foreign interference. Key components of the plan included:

• A ban on farmland purchases by nationals from the four targeted countries.
• Termination of existing research contracts involving personnel from those nations.
• New publishing restrictions on USDA staff collaborating with foreign nationals from the listed countries.

Workers will not be replaced until after the October 15 federal hiring freeze is lifted. 

»Related: Judge orders USDA to reinstate unlawfully fired employees