Severe Cuts to CDC Funding

President Donald Trump’s administration is continuing to erode the country’s public health agencies. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has reportedly instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to drastically reduce its contract spending by over a third by mid-April.

A Devastating Blow to the CDC

The New York Times initially reported on the drastic cost-cutting measure, citing three anonymous federal officials familiar with the matter. The CDC is expected to cut $5.9 billion from its funding for contracts, which accounts for around 35% of its total contract spending, by April 18. This move is just the latest attempt by the federal government to significantly weaken the CDC and other health agencies.

Protected Contracts and Potential Cuts

DOGE’s demand to the CDC was reportedly made two weeks ago. The CDC’s largest contract, which provides $7 billion in annual funding for the Vaccines for Children Program, is protected by federal law and will remain unchanged, according to the NYT’s sources. However, most other contracts are potentially at risk of being cut.

Impact on Administrative Functions and Public Health Initiatives

The CDC’s contracts fund a wide range of administrative functions and logistical support for public-facing initiatives, including cleaning and IT staff or data maintenance. As with any DOGE-mandated budget move, this reduction in spending is likely to have disastrous impacts within the CDC. Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, told the NYT that "any manager can find small savings and improvements, but these kinds of demands are of the size and speed that break down organizations… This is not the way to do good for the public or for the public’s health."

Dismantling of the CDC and Other Health Agencies

The spending cut is just one aspect of the administration’s dismantling of the CDC and other health agencies. Approximately 10,000 jobs have been or are being terminated across the various agencies controlled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including 2,400 positions at the CDC. Under the command of HHS and its new chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the CDC also cancelled $11 billion in covid-related grants issued to state and community health departments last week. Many directors or high-level staff of these agencies have been put on leave or have quit in response.

Claimed Intentions and Unlikely Outcomes

RFK Jr. and the Trump administration have claimed that this "restructuring" is intended to streamline and improve the country’s public health response. However, given the loss of top researchers in their respective fields and the fact that many scientists are thinking about leaving the country, this scenario seems unlikely. Research into various diseases, including HIV, Alzheimer’s, and pandemic-level threats, will be affected by these job and funding cuts, leaving uncertainty about what will be salvageable once the cuts are implemented.