The government shutdown is slowing down food safety efforts, with the latest example being an outbreak of salmonella in chicken that has sickened more than 270 people. The CDC said it was recalling some of its furloughed staff to deal with the outbreak. Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety advocacy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest said:
"This outbreak is just another example that requiring public health officials to make the choices about who to keep and who to send home can really have huge impacts on not only the individuals involved but on public health and safety. These agencies are always running behind, and the idea that you can just shut them down is just foolish."