Donald Trump’s recent policy moves, including mass federal layoffs and an executive order banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools, are shrinking the country’s public health infrastructure, raising concerns among experts about the nation’s ability to detect and respond to emerging disease threats.
Dan Diamond and Lena H. Sun report for The Washington Post.
In short:
- The Trump administration ordered significant layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including members of its Epidemic Intelligence Service, a key team of infectious-disease experts.
- Trump signed an executive order cutting federal funds for schools that require COVID-19 vaccinations, despite most institutions already dropping such mandates.
- The administration has shifted its health policy focus to chronic diseases, sidelining efforts to prevent and respond to infectious disease outbreaks.
Key quote:
“We’re heading in the wrong direction.”
— Caitlin Rivers, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Why this matters:
The U.S. faces growing public health risks, including measles outbreaks and new viral threats like avian flu and Ebola. Cutting back on disease surveillance and response programs weakens the nation’s ability to track and contain these threats before they spread. Public health experts warn that dismantling global disease prevention efforts and slashing CDC staffing could leave the country vulnerable to future pandemics.
Related: From coronavirus to chemicals—when the government ignores science, Americans die: R. Thomas Zoeller
