A senior official of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has resigned in protest over the dismissal of federal employees by the administration of President Donald Trump, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday.
Jim Jones, who supervised the FDA’s food branch and had worked there for 30 years, cited recent dismissals of federal employees, which he described as “indiscriminate,” as his reason for stepping down,
"I was looking forward to working to pursue the department's agenda of improving the health of Americans by reducing diet-related chronic disease and risks from chemicals in food," Jones said in his resignation letter to the head of the FDA, in which he referred to the firing of 89 food-branch employees at the department.
"It has been increasingly clear that with the Trump Administration's disdain for the very people necessary to implement your agenda, however, it would have been fruitless for me to continue in this role," Jones said, adding that these employees represented “the future of the agency.”
His resignation, first reported by a specialised newsletter on Monday, comes as Elon Musk, with Trump's endorsement, leads a major crackdown on federal administrations, purportedly to cut public spending and improve efficiency.
Since Donald Trump’s return to power in January, several senior federal officials have resigned.
According to US media, they include a senior Social Security official responsible for distributing public pensions and disability benefits to 68 million beneficiaries, who resigned over the weekend in reaction to demands by Elon Musk’s team for access to sensitive data.
In January, a senior Treasury Department official resigned after refusing to grant Musk’s team access to the department's extensive secure payment system.
Criticised for its harsh methods, the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Musk, is conducting actions deemed illegal by the Democratic opposition, as the billionaire holds neither an electoral mandate nor a government portfolio.
DOGE is a task force created by Trump, following his inauguration in January, to reduce federal costs and workforce.
