Trump Admin’s CDC Purge: Revenge or Manufactured Crisis?
The Trump administration terminated the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), effective March 31, citing an executive order to reduce the federal workforce. HICPAC, responsible for creating national infection control standards widely adopted by U.S. hospitals, was close to finalizing updated guidelines for airborne pathogens before its dissolution. The termination raises concerns about the future of these guidelines, potentially freezing infection control practices and hindering adaptation to new scientific research and emerging threats like drug-resistant organisms. This action eliminates public transparency in the process of drafting CDC guidance on infection control, undermining patient and healthcare worker safety.
John Q. Hosedrinker