The CDC is falling deeper into crisis. What it means for the nation’s health.

Months of upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have undercut the agency’s work, employees said, and put the future of vaccines into doubt.

August 30, 2025 at 6:00 a.m. EDT Today at 6:00 a.m. EDT
11 min


Employees and supporters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gather outside the agency’s Atlanta headquarters to rally in support of three top leaders who resigned in protest of the Trump administration's efforts to upend vaccination policy. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

By Lena H. Sun, Lauren Weber and David Ovalle

Senior officials resigned this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, revolting against efforts to upend U.S. vaccine policy that they warned could lead to resurgences of preventable disease. But months of upheaval at the agency have already undercut its work to shield Americans from harm, officials and public health experts said, with the worst possibly yet to come.

Under the Trump administration, the agency has slashed billions in funding, shed hundreds of employees and rolled back programs to help Americans quit smoking and to prevent infant and maternal deaths, including support for monitoring sudden unexpected infant deaths. Funding for programs to prevent drowning, youth violence and sexual assault is in limbo, while they are under review by the U.S. DOGE Service.

The consequences of some of these cuts have been muted or delayed because they have yet to take effect or have been halted by courts. But public health workers and experts say they’re worried the worst is yet to come as the agency loses career staff who could intervene. And they say a bigger crisis in credibility is already unfolding. … “I never have seen an instance of an advanced, affluent country with among the finest scientific resources and leaders in the world be under assault, not from small pockets of the public or people who have unusual beliefs, but from the government itself,” said Allan M. Brandt, a public health historian at Harvard University. “This has just been radically unprecedented.”

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Months of tension erupted this week with the ouster of the agency’s director, Susan Monarez, and resignation of senior leaders. In a rare moment of open defiance against the Trump administration, CDC staffers rallied Thursday in support of the departing leaders outside their Atlanta campus.


Former CDC official Daniel Jernigan is flanked by Debra Houry and Demetre Daskalakis as they are cheered by supporters outside the agency's Atlanta headquarters following their coordinated resignations. (Erik S. Lesser/EPA/Shutterstock)

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Carolyn Y. Johnson contributed to this report

By Lena H. Sun
Lena H. Sun is a staff writer covering health with a focus on public health/infectious disease. Email: lena.sun@washpost.com. Or reach her securely on Signal @LenaSun.04follow on X@bylenasun

By Lauren Weber
Lauren Weber joined The Washington Post in 2023 as an accountability reporter focused on the forces promoting scientific and medical disinformation. She previously investigated the decimated public health system and covid disparities for Kaiser Health News. You can reach her at lauren.weber@washpost.com or send a secure message on signal @LWeber.91follow on X@LaurenWeberHP

By David Ovalle
David Ovalle is a reporter for the Health & Science team who covers opioids and addiction. He previously worked for the Miami Herald, where he covered crime, justice and hurricanes.follow on X@davidovalle305