Former CDC staff warn of "a five alarm fire" [View all]

Source: NPR

May 8, 2025 12:45 PM ET


Staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta are reeling, after losing thousands of their colleagues since January, due to firings, reductions in force and buyouts. It's part of a plan by the Trump Administration to "dramatically reduce the size of the Federal Government" with their stated goal of minimizing waste and abuse, according to a February executive order.

Trump celebrated the widespread firings of government workers on April 29, at a rally marking his first hundred days in office. "We are stopping their gravy train, ending their power trip, and telling thousands of corrupt, incompetent and unnecessary deep state bureaucrats, you're fired. Get the hell out of here," he said.

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. It leaves Americans more vulnerable to a host of dangers from lead poisoning to asthma, some cancers, toxic chemicals and deadly infectious diseases among other things, current and former CDC employees told NPR. The administration has restricted communications with domestic and global partners, and put strict limits on buying supplies and hiring people.

Programs and divisions including those dedicated to injury prevention, sexual, reproductive and oral health and workplace hazard reduction have been decimated or eliminated by recent budget and staffing cuts. "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."

Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/05/08/nx-s1-5391534/former-cdc-staff-warn-of-a-five-alarm-fire