CDC Disease Detectives Halved Amidst Budget Cuts: Pandemic Preparedness at Risk
The Trump administration, as part of a broader federal workforce reduction, eliminated approximately half of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Epidemic Intelligence Service officers— vital personnel for disease outbreak investigations. These cuts, impacting around 1,270 probationary CDC employees and numerous contractors, significantly reduce the agency’s capacity to respond to public health crises. Similar staffing reductions are impacting other health agencies, including the Indian Health Service, where the cuts have been condemned as potentially life-threatening. These actions contradict recent assurances from the new HHS Secretary that no significant purges were planned.
John Q. Hosedrinker