DeLauro Statement on Deterioration of CDC Under President Trump and Secretary Kennedy
WASHINGTON – A new joint report from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2883 and the Public Data Observatory found that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have suffered estimated workforce losses of 30 percent, or more than 3,800 civil servants under the reckless stewardship of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and President Trump.
House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), who also serves as Ranking Member of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement:
“Secretary Kennedy’s irresponsible gutting of CDC is putting American lives at risk. He must resign immediately so a qualified replacement can be made to repair the unfathomable damage he has caused. There is simply too much at stake—the health and safety of our children, our families, and our communities—to allow this destruction to go on any longer. We must stop the bleeding before it is too late.
“The CDC is a globally respected institution that houses the best public health experts our nation has to offer, and we must support them. For over a year, more than 200 public health experts have been on administrative leave—being paid to do nothing. They must be brought back immediately to rejoin the CDC staff. This administration has assigned more political appointees to CDC than ever before, replacing merit with loyalty, and putting us all at greater risk from outbreaks, global pandemics, and other public health threats.
“When Democrats retake the House of Representatives next year, there will be accountability for the long list of abuses heaped on one of our most vital agencies by this corrupt administration.”
A recent report from the New York Times details the litany of challenges now facing the CDC, including delays in assistance for state and local health agencies, staffing shortages at chronic and infectious disease centers, reduced outbreak response capacity, delayed grant distribution and repeated failures to issue public health guidance – all core functions of the CDC.
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