Health

C.D.C. Cuts Threaten to Set Back the Nation’s Health, Critics Say

Published

8 months ago

April 3, 2025

C.D.C. Cuts Threaten to Set Back the Nation’s Health, Critics Say

The extensive layoffs of federal health workers that began on Tuesday will greatly curtail the scope and influence of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the world’s premier public health agency, an outcome long sought by conservatives critical of its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services shrinks the C.D.C. by 2,400 employees, or roughly 18 percent of its work force, and strips away some of its core functions.

Some Democrats in Congress described the reorganization throughout H.H.S. as flatly illegal.

“You cannot decimate and restructure H.H.S. without Congress,” said Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, and a member of the Senate health committee.

“This is not only unlawful but seriously harmful — they are putting Americans’ health and well-being on the line,” she added.

Ms. Murray noted that the Trump administration had not detailed which units are being cut at the C.D.C. and other health agencies. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, said last week the layoffs would affect primarily administrative functions.

But according to information gathered by The New York Times from dozens of workers, the reductions were more broadly targeted. Scientists focused on environmental health and asthma, injuries, lead poisoning, smoking and climate change were dismissed.

Researchers studying blood disorders, violence prevention and access to vaccines were let go. The agency’s center on H.I.V. and sexually transmitted diseases was among the hardest hit, losing about 27 percent of its staff.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which makes recommendations on how to keep workers safe, was all but dissolved.

What remains is a hobbled C.D.C., with a smaller global footprint, devoting fewer resources to environmental health, occupational health and disease prevention, public health experts said.

Instead, the agency will be trained more narrowly on domestic disease outbreaks. Communications will be centralized at H.H.S. in Washington.

The department intends “to ensure a more coordinated and effective response to public health challenges, ultimately benefiting the American taxpayer,” said Emily Hilliard, deputy press secretary at the department.

“C.D.C. scientists have conducted numerous interviews on a variety of topics and will continue to do so,” she added.

Critics predicted the move would prevent scientists from speaking frankly about public health.

“American taxpayers provide the resources for C.D.C.’s specialists and have the right to hear directly from them without interference by politicians,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, who led the agency from 2009 to 2017.

The sweeping reductions arrive as the nation confronts an outbreak of measles in Texas and elsewhere, a spreading bird flu epidemic on poultry and dairy farms, and a raft of new questions about public health measures like water fluoridation and school vaccine requirements.

“What we seem to be seeing is a dismantling rather than a restructuring” of the public health system, said Dr. Richard Besser, chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a former acting director of the C.D.C.

On Capitol Hill, the Senate health committee, which recommended confirmation of Mr. Kennedy as secretary, scheduled a hearing on the reorganization of H.H.S., citing the possible impacts on public health.

Mr. Kennedy has described the reorganization as an effort to clean up waste and bureaucracy while promising that federal health agencies would do more to improve the health of Americans.

“We’re going to eliminate an entire alphabet soup of departments and agencies while preserving their core functions by merging them into a new organization called the Administration for a Healthy America,” the secretary said in a videotaped message announcing the layoffs.

The department did not respond to requests for more detailed information.

Society’s most vulnerable — the poor, Black, Latino and Native American people, rural Americans with less access to health care, the disabled and those at highest risk for illness — are likely to be hit hardest, experts said.

“These communities rely on public health to a larger extent than wealthy communities do,” Dr. Besser said.

For decades, public health and medical research drew support across the political spectrum.

But the C.D.C. has been in the political cross hairs since the first Trump administration, when the White House muzzled the agency’s communications, meddled with its publications and blamed its scientists for bungling the pandemic response.

In recent years, lawmakers have harshly criticized the agency’s advice on masks, lockdowns, social distancing, school closures and various other attempts to contain the pandemic, calling them economically and socially disastrous.

Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for reshaping the federal government, described the C.D.C. as “perhaps the most incompetent and arrogant” federal agency, and called on Congress to curb its powers.

Through staffing cuts, the administration reduced critical divisions of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, and employees studying how to prevent gun violence, child abuse and elder abuse were fired.

Injuries are the leading cause of death among Americans under 45. About 47,000 Americans are killed by firearms each year, more than half of them suicides.

But gun violence is a politically fraught topic. Pressure from the National Rifle Association and conservative politicians led to a ban on using federal funds to study gun violence for almost 25 years. Funding was restored in 2019.

The injury center studied ways to improve gun safety and promoted the use of gun locks, particularly in homes where children live.

“People think of gun violence as a question for law enforcement, but the public health approach has made a big difference,” said Dr. Mark Rosenberg, a former center director.

Most of the C.D.C.’s Division of Reproductive Health, which studies maternal health, was also shuttered. Whether some or all of its portfolio will be assumed by the new organization created by Mr. Kennedy was not clear.

Pregnant women and newborns die in the United States at a far higher rate than in other industrialized nations.

In recent years, the C.D.C. focused on stark racial health disparities that put Black American women at nearly three times the risk of dying of pregnancy complications than white women.

But the Trump administration has been defunding studies of health disparities in racial, ethnic and gender minorities, saying they do not align with the president’s executive orders ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Mr. Kennedy said last week that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which makes recommendations for preventing work-related injuries and illnesses, would be absorbed into the health department.

But on Tuesday, most of its divisions were eliminated, among them offices dedicated to protecting workers in various industries, including mine inspectors.

Even one of the agency’s most essential functions, infectious disease research, was affected.

The Trump administration had been weighing moving the H.I.V. prevention division to a different agency within the health department.

But on Tuesday, teams leading H.I.V. surveillance and research within that division were laid off. It was unclear whether some of those functions would be recreated elsewhere. (A team in the global health center working on preventing mother-to-child transmission of H.I.V. was also cut.)

Until now, the C.D.C. provided funds to states and territories for responding to and preventing H.I.V. outbreaks. Roughly one in four new diagnoses of H.I.V. is made with agency funds.

Some H.I.V. experts warned that the move could lead to a rise in H.I.V. infections among Americans.

“H.I.V. prevention is a lot more than just giving out condoms,” said Dr. John Brooks, who served as chief medical officer for the division of H.I.V. prevention until last year. “It saves lives, averts illness and produces enormous cost savings.”

Broadly, the reorganization aligns with Mr. Kennedy’s preferred emphasis on research into chronic diseases; federal research has been far too focused on infectious diseases, he has said.

But the line between them is not always clear, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, former principal deputy director of the C.D.C. Research that seems disconnected from outbreak response may also be a key for fighting pathogens.

“For Zika, we needed experts in birth defects, entomology and vector control, virologists and environmental health experts,” she said. “Emerging threats don’t respect borders of C.D.C. organizational units.”

The reorganization risks choking the talent pipeline for public health, said Ursula Bauer, former director of the agency’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

“Once you decimate an agency like C.D.C., which is full of high-caliber highly trained individuals, building back is going to be incredibly difficult,” she said.

“It will take two to three times as long to undo the damage as it took to inflict it.”

The cuts also will take a toll on the agency’s ability to gather and analyze data, which are keys to identifying trends and developing interventions, Dr. Phil Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, said at a news briefing.

“You take away those systems, and it takes away the ability to see the impact of all these cuts,” he added.

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Health

I’m a Dietitian—Here’s the Best Snack for Weight Loss After 50

Published

7 hours ago

November 17, 2025

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I’m a Dietitian—Here’s the Best Snack for Weight Loss After 50

I’m a Dietitian—Here’s the Best Healthy Snack for Weight Loss After 50 | Woman’s World

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Health

Gut imbalance may be driving America’s food allergy epidemic, experts warn

Published

8 hours ago

November 17, 2025

Press Room

Gut imbalance may be driving America’s food allergy epidemic, experts warn

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

With over 32 million Americans battling food allergies, health advocates and officials are looking for the root cause — which includes looking into microbiomes.

The Food Allergy Fund (FAF) hosted a forum on Monday in Washington, D.C., with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, FDA Chief Martin Makary and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Makary shared how the function of microbiomes has evolved over time.

EATING BLUEBERRIES EARLIER IN LIFE COULD EASE ALLERGIES, STRENGTHEN IMMUNITY, NEW STUDY FINDS

The intestine hosts over a billion different types of bacteria, which normally live in balance, according to Makary.

The doctor added, “but when it’s altered by the modern-day diet and by antibiotics and other exposures … that disequilibrium can cause inflammation, it can cause health problems, and it may be implicated in food allergies.”

“Gut health is central to overall health,” said Makary, pictured at a Nov. 16 forum hosted by the Food Allergy Fund. (Ashley J. DiMella/Fox News Digital)

“Gut health is central to overall health,” Makary emphasized. Some beneficial microbes may be missing in modern populations due to dietary and environmental changes, which could play a role in the rise of food allergies, he added.

Researchers at Siolta Therapeutics are testing this theory. Their oral microbiome therapy, STMC-103H, has shown promising results in a Phase 2 trial involving 238 newborns with a family history of allergies.

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Early data suggests the therapy could reduce the risk of developing food allergies by 77%, indicating that improving gut bacteria early in life could prevent allergies before they start.

Final results are expected in early 2026.

Early data suggests the therapy could reduce the risk of developing food allergies by 77%, indicating that improving gut bacteria early in life could prevent allergies before they start. (iStock)

Ilana Golant, FAF founder and CEO, told Fox News Digital “food allergies may be the canary in the coal mine for a much larger health crisis tied to the microbiome.”

FAF launched its Food Allergy Fund Microbiome Collective in New York City to further investigate how gut bacteria could help prevent or treat not only allergies, but also autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.

“Gut health is central to overall health.”

“Solving allergies could reveal how to prevent and treat a range of diseases — from autoimmune disorders to neurodegeneration — that impact millions of lives,” said Golant.

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Food allergies are widespread, affecting one in 10 adults and one in 13 children, according to FAF. Every three minutes, someone in the U.S. is treated in the emergency room for a severe allergic reaction.

Peanut allergies are among the most prevalent food allergies in the U.S., with new research showing that early peanut introduction could significantly reduce childhood allergies.

Ilana Golant, FAF founder and CEO (left), chats with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Washington, D.C., at the Food Allergy Fund Forum. (Ashley J. DiMella/Fox News Digital)

Secretary Kennedy observed at the FAF conference that food allergies — particularly involving peanuts — appear to be far more common among children today than when he was growing up.

“When I was a kid, I never met anyone with a peanut allergy,” Kennedy said. “I had 11 siblings and about 71 first cousins, and I didn’t know a single person in my schools or at any of the camps I went to who had one.”

“There may be many causes, or there may be just one — we don’t know yet.”

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One of his sons has severe anaphylactic allergies to peanuts, tree nuts and several other foods, he shared.

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“By the time he was 2 years old, we’d been to the emergency room about 22 times,” Kennedy said.

“At first, I focused on how we were going to treat it and keep him safe. But my mind quickly went to the bigger question — why is this happening? I have five of my seven children with allergies,” he said.

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“There may be many causes, or there may be just one — we don’t know yet,” Kennedy continued. “But we’re going to study it. We’re going to break that omertà, end the taboo and find out what’s causing it.”

Ashley J. DiMella is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.

Health

Pop culture embraces smoking as ‘cool’ again — and Gen Z youth are watching

Published

1 day ago

November 17, 2025

Press Room

Pop culture embraces smoking as ‘cool’ again — and Gen Z youth are watching

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Gen Z — largely comprised of middle- and high-school students — reported the lowest smoking rates on record in 2024, according to CDC and FDA data, but that trend may be in jeopardy.

“Overall, the decline in smoking in the U.S., [down] to about 11.9% of the population overall, is a great public health success story that has occurred over the past 20 years,” Dr. Neil W. Schluger, dean of the School of Medicine of New York Medical College and pulmonologist, told Fox News Digital.

Some experts, however, fear that the “cool factor” could be making a comeback, hooking a new generation on smoking.

SMOKING BAN PROPOSAL SPARKS BACKLASH FROM BUSINESS OWNERS IN COASTAL TOWN

In certain populations, there is reportedly a movement to re-glamorize cigarette smoking, Schluger said.

One Instagram account, @Cigfluencers, posts photos of celebrities with cigarettes to its more than 83,000 followers.

Some experts fear that the “cool factor” could be making a comeback, hooking a new generation on smoking. (iStock)

“SMOKING HOT!” reads a caption for a provocative image of Sabrina Carpenter smoking over a bathroom sink. “Also, Smoking = Hot.”

Additional celebrities who have been open about their cigarette use — and are also pictured on @Cigfluencers — include Ben Affleck, Jeremy Allen White and Natalie Portman, among others.

GEN Z BREAKS TRADITIONAL BEER RULES WITH NEW ICE-COLD TREND THAT SOME CALL ‘REFRESHING’

“Influencers can be influenced by marketing dollars and can attract younger generations, particularly if the channels used are popular among younger people, such as with social media,” said Judith J. Prochaska, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University in California, whose research focuses on developing effective treatments for tobacco dependence.

Multiple studies show that adolescents and young adults who watch smoking-related content are more likely to begin using tobacco products in the future, but those risks are magnified when they engage with tobacco content on social media.

Gen Z reported the lowest smoking rates on record in 2024, according to CDC and FDA data, though that trend may be in jeopardy. (iStock)

“It’s confusing and a dangerous contradiction for young people who take their cues from pop culture and celebrity influencers, and are especially vulnerable to believe that smoking is more popular than it really is,” said Truth Initiative CEO and President Robin Koval in a news article on the organization’s website.

In a recent opinion piece published in The BMJ, the author wrote that smoking is experiencing a “pop-culture revival” that is an “unwelcome throw-back for public health.”

“This normalization of smoking risks is re-igniting a harmful cultural association between cigarettes and coolness, to which young people are particularly vulnerable,” the article says.

Smoking trends among youth

In the mid- to late-90s, around one-third of high-schoolers smoked cigarettes. That has dropped to less than 3% today, according to the American Lung Association.

SMOKING BANNED FOR ENTIRE GENERATION UNDER SWEEPING NEW NATIONAL LAW

“It is harder to track trends in youth and young adults, because they tend to be less connected to survey efforts, and behaviors can change quickly,” Dr. Daniel J. Boffa, vice chair of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and division chief of thoracic surgery at Yale School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital.

“The signals we do have suggest that tobacco smoking rates are much lower in Gen Z than for some earlier generations.”

Boffa noted, however, that around 8% of Gen Z teens use e-cigarettes — “which is important because we really don’t know the long-term effect of e-cigarettes yet, and some young adults will switch over from e-cigarettes to smoking tobacco.”

In the mid- to late-90s, around one-third of high-schoolers smoked cigarettes. That has dropped to less than 3% today, according to the American Lung Association. (iStock)

The U.S. saw a surge in vaping rates in 2019, largely due to the popularity of the brand JUUL, which resonated among youth because of its high nicotine delivery, discreet design, kid-friendly flavors and appealing marketing tactics, Prochaska noted.

E-cigarettes are also on the rise among young adults — in part due to adolescents aging into young adulthood, she added.

Health risks of smoking

Over 90% of long-term smokers started before the age of 18, Boffa said.

“The problem with tobacco smoking in the teenage and young adult years is that the most severe health-related consequences won’t appear for a few decades, making it easier to ignore the warnings,” he warned.

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When someone smokes over time, the inhaled combusted tobacco and paper damage the tiny air sacs in the lungs called alveoli, which facilitate the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This damage could lead to chronic obstructive lung disease, according to Mayo Clinic.

The habit can also increase cancer risk, health experts warn. Humans produce random mutated cells that can potentially become cancerous, but a healthy immune system usually eliminates those cells.

When someone smokes, toxic substances enter the body and depress the immune system, giving those mutated cells a chance to grow and become cancerous. (iStock)

When someone smokes, however, toxic substances enter the body and depress the immune system, giving those mutated cells a chance to grow and become cancerous.

Repeated exposure can also increase the risk of oral health problems, pregnancy harms, sexual dysfunction and even mental health effects, Prochaska warned.

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Smoking is also a risk factor for coronary artery disease, aneurysms in the aorta (the main artery of the heart), peripheral vascular disease, and heart attacks and strokes, according to the FDA.

“The reduction in tobacco use in the U.S. is a huge advance in public health, and we should be vigilant not to slide backwards,” Schluger said.

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To maintain this progress, the doctor is a proponent of banning smoking in public places, raising tobacco taxes, increasing funding for cessation programs, and cracking down on illegal advertising and sales to minors.