The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it has fired 70 foreign contract researchers after a national security review intended to secure the US food supply from adversaries including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, reported Reuters.
"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 said.
"The individuals working on these contracts from countries of concern will no longer be able to work on USDA projects."
US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on July 8 had announced a farm security plan that included efforts to bar purchases of US farmland by nationals of the four countries, and to terminate any existing research agreements with them. Rollins said the moves were necessary to secure the US food supply.
The contractors had worked at the Agricultural Research Service, the in-house research arm of the USDA, said Thomas Henderson, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1657, which represents ARS workers in Albany, California.
Most of those dismissed were Chinese post-doctoral researchers on two-year contracts with the agency, and who were already subject to vetting before being hired, Henderson said.
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