Staff members at the CDC are reeling from significant reductions in force initiated by the Trump Administration's aim to shrink the Federal Government. Thousands have been impacted, diminishing the CDC's capacity to respond effectively to health threats, including childhood diseases and toxic exposures. Current and former employees express deep concern over the agency's demoralization and operational restrictions, which limits partnerships and resource acquisition. Dr. Anne Schuchat warns that the changes may result in lasting harm to public health that could take decades to rectify.
"It's a five alarm fire," says Dr. Anne Schuchat, a former acting director at CDC who retired in 2021 after working at the agency for 33 years. "The kinds of changes that are happening are going to take decades to recover from, and many people will die because of these interruptions."
Public health workers feel demoralized, and say the sweeping cuts, made with seemingly little consideration for how the CDC operates, have decreased the nation's ability to track and respond to health threats.
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