As avian flu rages across the country and drives up the cost of eggs, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a virtual press conference calling on the Trump administration to take action to develop and approve a vaccine for poultry and contain the outbreak.
Bird flu has been found in 44 of New York’s 62 counties and has forced farmers to cull more than 150 million birds around the country, including 100,000 at one farm on Long Island alone. A new strain of the disease has been found in cattle; its spread would be devastating to New York’s dairy farmers and could pose a serious threat to human health if the strain continues to evolve.
Nevertheless, the Trump administration has stopped releasing crucial data on the spread of bird flu and has fired federal workers responsible for tracking cases and managing the federal response. Gillibrand is calling on the administration to take action to address the outbreak and support the development and approval of a vaccine to bring down egg prices, reduce the need to depopulate flocks, and safeguard public health.
“Avian flu is decimating bird populations, and the subsequent shortage of egg-laying hens is making eggs unaffordable for working New Yorkers,” said Senator Gillibrand. “President Trump must act now to contain this outbreak. I am urging him to do everything in his power to prioritize the development of a vaccine to inoculate chickens against avian flu and fulfill his campaign promise to bring down grocery prices. I am alarmed that the administration limited the data shared with the scientific community and am urging full transparency. This deadly disease requires a whole of government response to be enacted immediately.”
The full text of Senator Gillibrand’s letter to leadership at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative is available here or below:
Dear Secretary Rollins, Secretary Kennedy, Secretary Noem, and Ambassador Greer,
As the United States enters its third year of containing the H5N1 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), it is imperative that the federal government continue to aggressively combat the spread of this deadly disease. With more than 150 million birds already culled, including 100,000 birds at one farm on Long Island alone, this outbreak does not appear to be slowing down.1 Human infections, including a fatal case in Louisiana, and a new strain of the disease discovered in a dairy herd in Nevada, demonstrate the ongoing and increasing risk this influenza is posing to animal and human health.2 Agencies must work together on comprehensive response efforts including vaccine development, publishing current scientific data, and proactive engagement with our international trading partners.
On January 31, 2025, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed a new genotype of HPAI, Genotype D1.1, identified in a dairy farm in Nevada.3 This is the first time in which there is clear, genetic confirmation that dairy cattle derived the virus from birds. As the virus evolves, it will make it more difficult to control the spread amongst wild birds, commercial poultry flocks, and dairy farms. In addition, an evolving virus could potentially lead to increased infections among humans, particularly farmworkers who interact with the animals daily. While the poultry industry has robust biosecurity measures to reduce the spread of HPAI in their operations, it seems that these measures are not adequate in combatting this highly virulent strain. The strategies used to combat the 2015 avian flu epidemic (i.e. increased biosecurity precautions) do not seem to be enough to counteract this strain.4
Engagement with the scientific community is the cornerstone of disease prevention and mitigation. It is extremely alarming that the weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released on February 5, 2025, did not have any mention of H5N1 and did not contain any publicly available information on the risks associated with this virus. While data seemed to have been briefly included in the Morbidity and Mortality Report, it is no longer included in versions available online.5 Reports indicate that mistakenly reported data included indications there has been transmission of H5N1 between cats and humans, specifically those that share the same household.6 The midst of a potential public health crisis is not the time to hide information from the broader scientific community. The refusal to share this data will stifle critical vaccine development.
Unfortunately, inoculating poultry against HPAI, especially operations that are free-range, is extremely difficult. This outbreak of HPAI will require novel solutions in terms of vaccine delivery, such as additions to water or feed, as direct vaccine injection is not feasible on larger commercial operations. The income lost for poultry farmers can be immense if they must cull their flock. For example, egg-laying operations must wait at least 17 weeks before the animal is providing product, meaning farmers could be out of income for up to 5 months. Additionally, broiler chickens have a much shorter lifespan, meaning they must be vaccinated at a younger age. It is critical that the federal government use all resources available to rapidly develop and deploy these new vaccine strategies. The United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security must work closely together to use all possible resources at shared facilities, such as Plum Island or the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, to develop these new treatments for chickens, turkeys, and dairy cows.
While vaccines are being developed, the United States Trade Representative must proactively engage with our international trading partners regarding the usage of newly developed vaccines. Public-private engagement will be critical to inform vaccination guidance to ensure our agricultural communities have access to these critical foreign markets.
In summation, I request monthly written updates on the following items:
What coordination actions have been undertaken by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Homeland Security, and the U.S. Trade Representative.
The status of vaccine development for HPAI.
The interactions with international trading partners in terms of vaccine development.
Actions taken by executive agencies to engage with the scientific community.
I look forward to working on this issue together. If you have additional questions, please reach out to my staff.
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