Local officials of the American Federation of Government Employees in the Department of Agriculture claimed in a recent press release that the agency is proposing to furlough inspectors periodically for one to five days from now through October in a bid to save $26 million.
But in a letter the chairman of AFGE’s National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals, the agency’s Food Safety Inspection Service reportedly denied that the agency intends to furlough inspectors, though it acknowledged a “tight budget situation.”
Reportedly, the letter also said the agency was working to cut costs not directly related to food safety and public heath, and that the agency would communicate plans for any future furlough with a formal notice.
