As Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), ramps up efforts to rein in federal spending, his recent target of American health agencies has sparked serious alarm among experts. Critics are warning that extreme reductions in health staff and access to sensitive information could undermine the country’s disease response, making new outbreaks more likely.
On Friday, Feb 14, the Trump administration carried out a large-scale layoff in federal health agencies, laying off thousands of workers, including more than 1,200 CDC staff. Fired were Epidemic Intelligence Services specialists, also called “disease detectives”. The administration also requested access to federal health payment records, further stoking concerns of disruptions.
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Health officials worry such actions would devastate the US public health infrastructure. Scott Cory, a former HHS chief information officer, informed The Guardian that the dangers these changes present were “significant.” A CDC insider corroborated the fears, citing that the realignment, together with current strain such as bird flu spreading, would paralyze the government’s capacity to manage health emergencies efficiently.
Asides from the sackings, coordination between health departments and Congress have been reportedly shut down, and CDC and Department of Agriculture (USDA) have since the inauguration of Trump suspended briefings. The breakdown is feared by experts to extend to worsening response to the spread of the existing bird flu infection, which had infected more than 70 in the US since April.
With news of additional firings of top officials and contractors, concerns are mounting that these broad changes may leave the US healthcare system perilously ill-prepared for future crises.
