Warren Investigates Trump Admin’s Failed Response to Cyclospora Outbreak, Raises Questions About Corruption and Influence-Peddling

Taylor Farms’ parent company has donated millions to political organizations with ties to President Trump Text of Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his response to the biggest outbreak of cyclosporiasis in U.S. history — and the extent to which political corruption may have contributed to the Trump administration’s botched response. “(P)olitical contributions and direct White House lobbying from Taylor Farms (or Taylor Fresh Foods,  Inc, its parent company), the company implicated in the outbreak, raise urgent questions about the role this influence-peddling may have played in loosening federal food safety oversight and hampering the federal government’s response to the outbreak,” wrote Senator Warren . Since May 2026, nearly 14,000 cases of cyclosporiasis have been confirmed across the country, with another 10,000 suspected cases requiring additional investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Patients with cyclosporiasis can experience cramping, bloating, and diarrhea that can last for weeks and, in some cases, months. To date, the outbreak has resulted in two deaths and at least 740 hospitalizations. The CDC traced the outbreak to lettuce grown by Taylor Farms, a company previously linked to a mass cyclospora outbreak that caused hundreds to fall ill in 2013. Taylor Farms’ parent company, Taylor Fresh Foods, has donated millions to political organizations aligned with President Trump, including more than $1 million directly to MAGA Inc., and has hired a former Trump White House official to lobby on its behalf. Recent reporting reveals that shortly after federal agencies had identified Taylor Farms lettuce as a potential source of the outbreak, the company called White House and FDA officials “with an urgent plea” to delay a potential recall announcement. During the call — reportedly brokered by former White House official-turned-Taylor Farms lobbyist Trent Morse — the company allegedly requested “more proof” and “more time” before federal agencies attributed the outbreak to the company’s products. Just a day after the FDA reported that lettuce from Taylor Farms tested positive for cyclospora, the agency announced the test was a false positive, and Taylor Farms claimed that the FDA had apologized  for the false positive test results. Yet, the FDA affirmed that there was “overwhelming epidemiological data” that lettuce from Taylor Farms was associated with the current outbreak. These statements contributed to widespread public confusion about the source and status of the outbreak. Taylor Farms appears to have used its influence with the Trump administration to secure favorable regulatory actions on multiple occasions. In March 2025, with the support of large food producers, the Trump administration delayed a food traceability rule that would have prevented more Americans from getting sick from foodborne disease outbreaks. Less than a week later, the parent company of Taylor Farms made a $1 million donation to MAGA, Inc., President Trump’s SuperPAC. A few months later, the parent company of Taylor Farms contributed another $100,000 to a Trump-aligned PAC, just before the Trump administration announced that it would end the mandatory reporting of cyclospora. “If (safety regulation rollbacks) were motivated solely by ideology it would reflect a dangerously bad set of policies by the Trump administration. But the specter of corruption – and quid pro quo politics – casts a darker shadow over these actions, particularly if political contributions from Taylor Farms’ parent company may have influenced policy changes that subsequently endangered millions of Americans,” said Senator Warren . Secretary Kennedy recently insisted the cyclospora outbreak was “under control,” and a senior HHS official called the outbreak nothing more than “a couple of cases of diarrhea.” Meanwhile, two Americans have died and thousands more have become sick as the outbreak continues to grow. Senator Warren asked Secretary Kennedy to provide a copy of all communications between his agency and Taylor Farms and provide clarity on the administration’s plan to address the outbreak by August 27, 2026. Senator Warren has long fought back against private companies trying to buy influence with the Trump administration: In August 2026, Senators Warren, Blumenthal, and Kim probed Korean company Base Group’s mysterious $2 million payment to President Trump while under a trade-related investigation by the Trump administration, raising concerns about pay-to-play politics and bribery. In a new letter to Base Group Chairman Kim Sung-jip, the lawmakers pressed the company for answers on the suspiciously-timed payment. In July 2026, Senators Warren and Blumenthal, along with Representative Stansbury, opened an investigation into reports that Softbank Group’s (Softbank) recently donated $50 million to the Trump Presidential Library — the largest publicly disclosed contribution to the Library and a possible attempt to curry political favor. In March 2026, Senator Warren released a new response from the Department of Defense (DoD) indicating that there are no effective processes in place to prevent possible conflicts of interest and corruption involving President Donald Trump’s family and the Department’s awarding of defense contracts. In a new letter, she and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) pressed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on this failure and pushed for answers regarding Trump’s sons’ latest investment in Powerus, a drone company. In September 2025, Senator Warren pressed the CEO of Rolex on why the company invited President Trump to be Rolex’s guest at the finals of the U.S. Open Tennis Championship earlier this month — just weeks after President Trump announced 39 percent tariffs on Swiss imports. In July 2025, Senator Warren pushed the CEOs of Amazon, Meta, Tesla, Apple, and Alphabet , on their attempts to secure billion-dollar tax handouts paid for by ripping away health care coverage, food assistance, and other services from millions of American families. In May 2025, Senator Warren wrote to Pilgrim’s Pride and JBS USA (the parent company of Pilgrim’s Pride), pushing them to explain Pilgrim’s Pride $5 million donation to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, the single largest donation — bigger than Amazon, Meta, and Google’s donations combined. In April 2025, Senator Warren pressed Tim Cook about reports that spoke with Trump administration officials to win an exemption to Trump’s China tariffs, worth billions of dollars for Apple. In April 2025, on the 100th day of the second Trump administration, Senator Warren read 100 reports of corruption from President Trump’s term into the Congressional record, pointing to all the ways President Trump and his family have used the presidency to enrich themselves, give favors to donors, and made it more difficult to hold him accountable for corruption. ###