Is Trump to blame for Americans getting explosive diarrhea? | Arwa Mahdawi

RIGHT SO CONTEXT FIRST BECAUSE IT MATTERS. FIRST TRUMP WAS COMPLAINING AT RALLIES ABOUT PEOPLE FLUSHING TOILETS TEN OR FIFTEEN TIMES AND THEN IN 2026 FOOD SAFETY BECAME A MASSIVE MIDTERM TALKING POINT BECAUSE OF PARASITE OUTBREAKS AND CONSTANT FOOD RECALLS, WHICH LED DEMOCRATS TO DEMAND HEALTH SECRETARY RFK JR RESIGN, AND LAWMAKERS ARE POINTING OUT THAT STARTING IN JULY THE CDC DOWNGRADED ITS FOODNET SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM TO ONLY TRACK SALMONELLA AND E COLI ACROSS TEN STATES, WHICH DID NOT DIRECTLY CAUSE THE CRISIS BUT MIGHT HAVE HAMPERED THE RESPONSE, AND THE SCALE IS GENUINELY ASTONISHING BECAUSE THE RECENT CYCLOSPORA OUTBREAK LINKED TO CONTAMINATED LETTUCE WAS THE LARGEST IN US HISTORY, RESULTING IN FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY HOSPITALIZATIONS AND TWO RECORDED DEATHS.

NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT THIS ENOUGH, SPECIFICALLY FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY HOSPITALIZATIONS FROM CONTAMINATED LETTUCE, WHICH IS AN ASTONISHING SCALE FOR A SINGLE CYCLOSPORA OUTBREAK, AND IT HAS BECOME THIS ENORMOUS MIDTERM ELECTION ISSUE WHERE DEMOCRATS ARE CALLING FOR HEALTH SECRETARY RFK JR TO RESIGN OVER RECALLS, AND LAWMAKERS LIKE ELIZABETH WARREN AND GABE AMO ARE BLAMING TRUMP'S FEDERAL WORKFORCE CUTS AND DEREGULATION, WHICH IS WILD BECAUSE ON JULY FIRST THE CDC DOWNGRADED ITS FOODNET SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM SO TEN STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS ONLY MANDATORILY TRACK SALMONELLA AND E COLI NOW, WHICH CRITICS ARGUE MIGHT HAVE SEVERELY COMPLICATED THE OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO PARASITES EVEN IF IT DID NOT DIRECTLY TRIGGER THE CONTAMINATION, AND THE THING IS THE OUTBREAK WAS OFFICIALLY THE LARGEST CYCLOSPORIASIS EVENT RECORDED IN AMERICAN HISTORY, RESULTING IN FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY HOSPITALIZATIONS AND TWO CONFIRMED DEATHS.

Democrats are making food safety and a record cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to lettuce key midterm talking points amid federal regulatory rollbacks under the Trump administration.

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