The Trump administration’s effort to slash the size of the federal workforce reached the Food and Drug Administration this weekend.

NEW YORK, NY Health officials acknowledged Friday they are still looking at a wide range of products and chemicals that could be causing the U.S. vaping illness outbreak. "We don't have a short list" of suspect substances, Mitch Zeller of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told reporters Friday. But microscopic images may be pointing to another understanding of how vaping can disrupt the lungs' delicate balance. Of potential causes, so far "nothing lines up 100 percent," said Dr. Sean Callahan, a University of Utah Health lung specialist who has treated vaping illness patients. The number of new cases each week seems to be declining, but health officials say it's not clear whether the outbreak is leveling off.

E-Cigarette vaporizer components and products are displayed at Smoke and Gift Shop on June 25, 2019, in San Francisco. Vaping-related illnesses have been linked to seven deaths, two in California and one each in Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Oregon. "I wish we had more answers," Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, said during a media briefing. The CDC and various state health departments have reported widespread use of products containing THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive substance within cannabis. But health officials emphasized Thursday that not all people who became ill had used THC, and many had used multiple substances.

These cases, which have occurred in 33 states and one jurisdiction, include some cases that are still under investigation by state health officials. The CDC, FDA and state health departments say they're working together to figure out which products might have been used and to facilitate laboratory testing. The CDC and various state health departments have reported widespread use of products containing THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive substance in cannabis. The chemical is now "a key focus" of the department's investigation into the illnesses. According to health officials, patients have experienced symptoms including difficulty breathing and chest pain before being hospitalized.