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Donald Trump's Freeze Hiring May Impede Breakthrough Discoveries In Bees

By Joie M Gahum | Update Date: Feb 08, 2017 07:10 AM EST

Julia Fine, 28 and was about to work as a postdoctoral scholar with the Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture's research agency. However, her position, as well as the funding that may allow her to continue with her research in bees was cut short by President Donald Trump's employment freeze in the federal government.

She has completed her doctorate in Entomology at the Pennsylvania State University. She was about to work for the research agency, but with the recent freeze, her research on the reasons behind the abnormally high rates of mortality among bees will be halted, Huffington Post reports.

The USDA could not provide any comment as to which individual researchers would be affected by the current employment freeze. Although the freeze memorandum provided an outline and possible exemptions to the freeze, Fine was still confused on whether she will be qualified for the exception or not. This has already led to a widespread confusion for other federal employers and employees in the United States.

Julia Fine is the lead author of the detailed study on how common pesticides additive, Organosilicone surfactants, can affect bees and other insects even though they are not considered as the target insect of the pesticide. Its effect on other native bee species like the endangered rusty-patched bumblebee is also at the question, something Fine's research would have possibly resolve. In the US, 44 percent of its honeybee colonies has been lost between 2015 and 2016.

Meanwhile, CNN reports that the freeze employment was an effort made to implement pay cuts. Research, however, shows that the recent freeze hiring has already hurt veterans in the process and prevent vacant positions from being filled in. Creating new positions that is essential for national and public security responsibilities have already been in jeopardy.

Due to the employment freeze being implemented in the federal government by President Donald Trump, several ignored agencies workload, staffing requirements, and missions, like that of Julie Pine and her research on bees disordered many agency operations and may lead increased costs to the government in the future.

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