Washington, June 10 (IANS) A group of Democratic senators has warned that the United States is ill-prepared to respond to major public health threats, citing a worsening Ebola epidemic, leadership vacancies across federal health agencies and deep staffing cuts under the Trump administration.
In a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., led by Senators Patty Murray and Tim Kaine, lawmakers said the administration’s actions had weakened America’s ability to detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks.
The senators argued that the situation is particularly concerning as the United States prepares to host visitors from around the world during the FIFA World Cup.
“As our country prepares to welcome international travelers from around the globe at the World Cup, it is imperative that we have clear, comprehensive plans and communications to manage public health risks. We urge you to act swiftly to fill all necessary vacant public health positions; create a concrete, transparent, and compassionate plan for treating exposed Americans; and increase communication to the public,” they wrote.
The letter follows what lawmakers described as a growing Ebola epidemic and an abnormal hantavirus outbreak. They accused the administration of pursuing an “anti-science agenda”, reducing public health capacity and failing to provide consistent leadership during a period of heightened global health risks.
According to the senators, the administration has “fired and forced out thousands of employees across the Department” and HHS is operating at “20% reduced capacity as compared to the beginning of this administration”. They said the reductions included 3,500 full-time employees at the Food and Drug Administration, 3,400 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 4,600 at the National Institutes of Health.
The lawmakers also highlighted leadership gaps across the department.
“Of the 18 Senate-confirmed positions at HHS, only six have confirmed personnel serving in those roles,” they wrote, adding that the CDC, FDA and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response lack permanent leadership. They also noted that the United States currently does not have a Senate-confirmed Surgeon General.
The senators said staffing losses have affected agencies responsible for infectious disease preparedness and response. They warned that vacancies at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases were particularly troubling “in the midst of a global health emergency”.
The letter also criticised the administration’s handling of the Ebola outbreak. The senators wrote that “President Trump’s withdrawal from the WHO has profoundly undermined the Ebola response, leading to severe shortages of personal protective equipment, disruptions in contact tracing efforts, and delayed response times that have allowed the virus to spread.”
The senators criticised the administration’s decision to halt funding for mRNA vaccine development projects. They wrote that “Your decision to summarily defund mRNA vaccine technology abruptly terminated 22 promising projects that were designed to develop vaccines against respiratory and viral threats.” They warned that the move could weaken American leadership in medical innovation while researchers in China advance new Ebola vaccine technologies.
The letter was signed by Murray, Kaine and 15 other senators, including Mark Warner, Chris Van Hollen, Cory Booker, Andy Kim, Raphael Warnock and Tammy Baldwin. The lawmakers requested detailed answers from HHS by June 23.
