Bill Cassidy doesn't trust RFK Jr. assessment of poop parasite outbreak
Bill Cassidy doesn't trust RFK Jr. assessment of poop parasite outbreak
Greg Hilburn, Shreveport TimesTue, July 21, 2026 at 6:26 PM UTC
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Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy said he doesn't trust Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s assessment that the national outbreak of cyclosporiasis is "under control" and that he is requesting a briefing on the parasitic infection that has sickened thousands across the country.
Cases of the stomach-churning infections have risen across the country and in Louisiana, where the state health department reported 68 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis July 21, double the usual amount of cases during this period.
In a briefing on health care fraud July 21, Kennedy said, "We do have the outbreak under control" and said cuts implemented last year to the Centers for Disease Control wouldn't have helped stem the surge in cases.
Cassidy, a doctor and chairman of the Senate Health Committee, said he has asked for a briefing on the outbreak.
"Just because Secretary Kennedy says that doesn't mean I believe it," Cassidy said in response to a question from USA Today Network.
Last year, federal health officials scaled back the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, a program that has tracked food poisoning infections in the United States for decades.
The CDC said the program, known as FoodNet, would no longer be required to monitor eight of the 10 pathogens it previously did, including cyclospora.
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"There was kind of a blunt ax approach to cutting the CDC and other public health agencies in the response," Cassidy said.
But Kennedy called any criticisms to the government's response "invalid."
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"We did cuts in the FoodNet program, but they were for redundant surveillance, and all the states will tell you that we're still doing forensics," he said.
Taylor Farms has recalled several lettuce products after federal officials linked it to the outbreak, though an investigation into the exact source of the parasitic illness is still ongoing.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana diarrhea cases rise as Bill Cassidy questions RFK Jr. response
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